52 Stories
by Readergirl37
Summary: Not one story, 52 individual stories written with a weekly prompt. Mostly Elejah, other ships will make appearances.
1. A New Beginning

AN: The prompt for this story is: A story entitled "A New Beginning"

AH AU.

* * *

It's a new town. Not really, Elena thinks, the town is a few hundred years old. It's not new, it's just new to her. But, as she grips the familiar steering wheel, she tells herself that it's a new beginning. It looks so different from Mystic Falls, that it's a relief.

This place will be better, she tells herself as she parks in the driveway of a blue house she's parked in twice in two days.

Her driveway, now, she thinks as she notices the sign declaring the house isn't for sale anymore, it's sold. She'll need to take that out of the yard soon, she thinks. This town will be different because this town will only know what she tells it.

It's not going to be filled with people who knew her parents and thought they had room to judge. It's a fresh start. She parks and with a sigh, she gets out, keys in hand. She barely has any furniture to bring in, the previous owner had left the furniture with the house and didn't add the cost into the price. His wife picked all of their furniture, he had told Elena as they signed the papers. He just couldn't get rid of it after their divorce, and but he couldn't stay either.

It was a little odd, she thinks, looking back as she gets the box out of the passenger seat. She balances it on her knee as she unlocks the door, and when she can set it down in the entryway. She remembers to lock her SUV, and then shuts the door.

* * *

The previous owner and his wife really liked dark wood, she thinks as she walks to the master bedroom. Her journals fit nicely on the empty bookcase near the closet door, and she places her toiletries where she thinks they should go. She makes a list of what she didn't notice before moving in, like that the curtains in the guest bedroom are too bright for the room, and that she needs to buy a new mattress for the master bedroom, because it just feels odd. Little things that add up to a decently sized list. She moves things around, puts her clothes in her new closet, puts up plates, she tries to do everything in one day. Elena's just happy she's a light packer, after the fifth box. She keeps working, and she eventually gets through the second to last box.

It's so quiet other than the noise of the things that she's moving that she almost jumps when she hears the doorbell ring.

She chastises herself, this is a new town. It's probably just the postman. Either way, she walks downstairs, and opens the door, cautiously. A cheery woman with pink lipstick smiles at her, with a covered pie plate in her hands.

"I'm Caroline Mikaelson. Welcome to the neighborhood!" She says, and Elena doesn't quite trust it for a second, but this woman is being genuine.

"Thank you." Elena says and the blonde hands her the pie plate.

"Where did you move from?" The other woman asks.

"Virginia." Elena answers, and the blonde nods.

"My husband and I moved here a few years ago from New Orleans. We used to live in Virginia too. It's a small world after all, isn't it?" She asks and Elena laughs before answering.

"Yeah, I guess it is." Elena says and the blonde smiles at her again.

"That's my strawberry pie. It's won the best dessert award here a few years in a row. I hope you like it. Let us know if you need anything, we live just a few houses down, the gray one." The blonde tells her and Elena tells her she'll tell her if she needs help. Caroline walks away and Elena shuts the door. She puts it in the fridge, and her stomach growls. She checks her phone. The times on the clocks in the kitchen are off, and she sets them to the right time before getting her purse from her bedroom. It's later than she thought and unless she wants to eat pie for dinner, she needs to go to the grocery store.

She debates just eating pie for dinner, and just going to the grocery store after work on Monday, for a minute. Then she tells herself she'll try the pie after she returns and cooks dinner.

* * *

The streets are about as busy as the ones of Mystic Falls and she hates the little thread of relief she feels at something so familiar. Her parents died there, her uncle died there and she barely came out of that car crash alive. Everyone in that town stared at her like she caused their deaths, and her Aunt Jenna needed the house anyway. Her brother and aunt didn't blame her, and she told herself that their opinions were the only ones that mattered.

She parks in the parking lot, and readies herself. Another exhale and then she's in the brightly lit store, that's moderately busy. She gets a shopping cart and walks around. Familiar looking things get crossed off her list and put in her cart. She's in longer than she would be if she knew where everything was, but she doesn't care. The house will be dark and lonely when she returns to it. Even if she barely speaks for than a sentence or two to anyone, it's a little better than being in that house. Her house, she tells herself.

A few employees ask if they can help her find anything, but she tells them she's fine. She'll spend more time in here anyway, she thinks. She might as well get used to it.

She checks out with a full cart, with a few things that weren't on her list. It's fine. She moved to this town for the job she applied for and was hired for.

* * *

Groceries are loaded into her backseat and then unloaded. She finds the garage door opener when she puts the chips away in one of the cabinets. Then she pulls her SUV in, and she knows she should explore more, but she ends up making a sandwich and chips for dinner first. She watches a show on her phone as she eats, partially because she follows the show and partially to have some noise in the house.

She cuts a piece of the pie, after taking it out of her fridge. She makes a list of all of the things she needs to do while she eats it.

It's a unique pie and it doesn't remind her of anything, which is a gift in itself.

* * *

She sets out her clothes and gets ready for the next day and follows an old routine in a new place. It's a little weird to be in a house by herself, and not hear the noises of Jeremy and her Aunt Jenna. But she's an adult now, and she needs to deal with it, she tells herself.

She gets ready too early, she forgets that this town doesn't have any of the distractions she had in Mystic Falls. She checks her lipstick and double checks everything to make sure it's perfect, and then leaves.

The office building is already starting to become busy, and other cars in the parking lot are a reassuring sight. She parks carefully, she forgot how odd it felt to drive in heels, and makes her way to her new job.

Her boss is waiting for her when she leaves the elevators, and introduces herself as Melissa, to confirm Elena's assumption. She shows Elena her cubicle and she pretends to settle in for a few minutes until her boss comes back to go to a meeting. Not to interact or deal with right away, just to observe.

* * *

By lunch, she's got a stack of papers to read before work the next day. Her boss is nice and introduces her to most of the people they pass, and they're going to go to lunch when her boss stops when they pass a man in a suit and he stops too.

"Elena, this is Elijah Mikaelson. He's one of the lawyers we work with. Elijah, this is Elena Gilbert." Melissa says and it clicks. This must be Caroline's husband. She's about to say more, and then Melissa gets pulled away by a panicked looking coworker.

"Excuse me for a moment." Her blonde boss says and Elena nods. The man in the suit is gorgeous, but he's married. Back off, she tells herself, but he looks

"Of course." Elijah says and then Melissa disappears out of sight.

"I met your wife, she's really nice." She says, and his eyebrow furrows momentarily for a second.

"Caroline." She clarifies. His eyes widen.

"I'm not married. Caroline is my sister-in-law. She's married to my brother Niklaus." Elijah says and Elena gets it.

"Is her husband your only brother?" She asks.

"I actually have four brothers and a sister. What about you?" He asks.

"I just have a younger brother, Jeremy." She says and he nods. Melissa returns to tell Elena that she has to stay at the office and fix a problem.

"Would you like to go to lunch with me?" He asks, taking a risk. She seems nice and their mutual lunch plan has just been canceled, after all. She smiles at him.

"I would like that." She says and he thinks that maybe taking a risk once in a while isn't a bad thing after all.

* * *

"My family comes from Denmark. We moved to America when we were children." He says.

She hasn't told him about Mystic Falls and the name of the small town she grew up in, but she asks what languages his parents speak. He tells her that they used to speak Danish and English.

"Used to?" She asks and then feels stupid because then he nods and tells her that his parents are dead.

"Mine are too." She tells him. It's a gloomy topic and it's not something she planned on sharing to very many people if at all, but there's just something about him. She never does this, she tells him as they walk back to her office building, his is nearby. She never meets strangers and tells them way too personal information, and she certainly never does what she's about to do. Before he asks, she hands him a piece of paper.

"That's my number, if you want to call me." She says before she walks towards the building.

"I will." He says and she can't help the grin on her face, that stays the rest of the day.

* * *

She comes home to an empty house, but she gets pizza from a highly recommended restaurant on the way home and gets a text from Elijah Mikaelson. Caroline spots her as she's pulling in and she puts the pizza on the island in the kitchen before walking back out to see if Caroline is still out there.

"Hi!" Caroline says and Elena smiles back at her and greets her too.

"I met your brother-in-law today." She says, and Caroline asks which one, Klaus has three living brothers.

"Elijah." Elena says and Caroline immediately connects the dots.

"Do you like him?" Caroline asks.

"I'm not sure." She admits and then a car pulls into Caroline's driveway.

She sees a driver with dirty blonde hair, and then the car is parked and locked and the man kisses Caroline on the lips and then asks if she's the neighbor he's heard so much about. Elena answers that she probably is, unless they have another new neighbor.

* * *

As they talk and she grows to like her new neighbors and all of it. It's a new beginning, her new beginning she thinks. She can't wait for the rest of it.


	2. Challenge

AN: The prompt for this chapter is: A story about rising to a challenge.

* * *

"We usually don't look at authors so young." The woman with a too tight updo tells her as Elena's knuckles are white with holding the flash drive.

"Come back when you can actually write and when you're legal." She continues and Elena makes her mind up at that moment. Even though the older woman has been nothing but nasty, she thanks her and tells her she'll see herself out.

It had stung like failure. It had crushed her like failure but she's still in high school. Not failure yet. She still has a chance, she tells herself.

* * *

"Are you still working on that?" Jenna asks, peering over Elena's shoulder to look at the computer screen.

"Yup." Elena says, and takes a sip of her tea.

"You have your entire life to get published." Jenna reminds her gently.

"Yeah, but I want this one published before I graduate." Elena replies, fingers dancing around the keyboard.

"Good luck with that." Jenna says, and walks upstairs to get ready for bed.

* * *

Elena's persistent if nothing else, and when she finds out about vampires, she reworks her story. When she finds out that there's nothing actually original about her looks, she doesn't cry. She just works on her book.

She works it everyday, she has a timeline dammit and it will be published before her senior year. She watches videos from other authors, she follows others advice, she writes everyday.

* * *

She's a little pissed when she gets kidnapped by two vampires who clearly have never had the struggle of a short lifespan. When they're waiting for someone named Elijah to show up, it's the first time she's considered being turned into a vampire. She's mentally writing when he enters the room, but when she sees him, it all stops. That's terrifying because she's always focused on that no matter what, but something about this vampire makes her focus solely on him. He's in her space before she can finish breathing, and things change then and there.

Even when she's home safe and sound and the two vampire brothers she's not even remotely interested in insist on looking after her, she dismisses them.

Damon makes a comment that she's clearly not too traumatized since she's working on that book of hers again. Stefan ignores him and asks if she's fine and she tells him she is.

The next few days are crazy but she works on it. She has friends and she has time for them of course, but she always has a set amount of time for writing every day. Even if she's a supernatural doppelganger, she still has ambitions.

* * *

Katherine is in the tomb, they've been looking for a way to get the spell off the moonstone and Elijah stopped the men Elena wanted to have take her. Her book isn't entirely finished at this point, but no matter what kind of monster this Klaus is, she's sure she could have five minutes with a computer.

Her timeline has been pushed up with increasing urgency, senior year isn't early enough anymore. Her goal is to finish it before something kills her. It makes sense, in hindsight. People die around her, Katherine died from playing with the supernatural. It's only fitting that she will die too.

That gets interrupted when she gets trapped in her own house. She kind of wants to scream at everyone, but it's mostly fine until she sees that Jenna invited Elijah into their home. He has a beautiful deal. He will protect the ones she loves and in exchange for her willingly walking to her death. She asks him to get Stefan out of the tomb for Damon's sake. The Boarding House is big, and she knew it felt empty for him without his little brother.

* * *

In retrospect, she really should have seen it coming. He made a deal to keep them all safe, although his focus is her.

He finds her typing quickly at her computer. He makes noise, so she's not entirely unsurprised to see him standing a few feet away. It wouldn't do to make a deal and go through all of that for him to give her a heart attack after all. She wonders if that's actually physically possible.

"What are you working on?" He inquires, looking at the screen.

Of course, she thinks. The one person who is actually interested in her book is going to lead her to her death. So she tells him as she types and he looks intrigued. Before she can really stop herself, her new resolution to have it done before she dies slips out of her mouth. He asks if she wants to make another deal. He can get it published, manipulation is so easy with little things like that, as long as she follows their deal. He has something that might help her. It's an elixir that will keep her from dying.

It's not his first visit to her before the ritual and it's not the last either. The rest of it feels oddly off and on script somehow, because she does trust Elijah. She has to trust him.

* * *

He has her flash drive in his suit pocket as he walks her to her possible death.

She dies before he does, but doesn't know he died as well.

She wakes up asking for him, and Bonnie's mouth resembles the letter o.

"Where is he?" She presses.

"Klaus daggered him because Elijah didn't kill him and Klaus took Stefan. We have no idea." Bonnie confesses.

The betrayal cuts harder than the fangs that had sliced into her neck and the hands that had been hard enough to leave bruises.

"No." She finds herself saying.

"Elena, it's true." Jeremy adds.

"He has my book." Elena whispers and the resulting reactions cause her to walk out. She knows that it was stupid, but she thought he could do it. After a thousand years of living she had assumed he'd be capable of staying alive a little longer. She wonders if Klaus actually killed him or if he's just daggered.

She feels ansty without her book, it's complete and gone.

She starts the sequel a few hours later.

* * *

It's not her idea, but they all kind of break down and tell Jenna about the supernatural after she begins. Her head isn't buried so far into her book that she doesn't notice that Alaric is interested in her aunt or the strife it causes.

Still, she writes. She and Damon work together on tracking Klaus because he needs his brother and won't admit it and she needs her flashdrive and to kill Elijah. Or at least hurt him.

Damon thinks something more might come out of their unconventional relationship but she tells him that will never happen. His face contorts to something ugly and it's the first time she's accused of having feelings she doesn't have for Elijah.

* * *

She takes a break from her book and writes her feelings down in her journal. Then she writes another chapter. And another.

* * *

Chicago, the very windy city, Elena thinks as she zips her jacket. Damon tracked Stefan to Chicago and she went with him despite his best arguments.

Chicago feels cold, and dreary and she remembers that Mystic Falls can feel the same way. It's not right to judge a place just from the weather. Damon books a hotel room with two beds, and tells her that they are sticking together because Klaus turned his brother into a ripper that's leaving people in pieces instead of his brooding little brother with hero hair. Elena knows, as if she wrote it, what he's saying in between the lines. He misses Stefan and trying to keep her safe is going to be a long and arduous task. Very long, he thinks as Elena tries to discreetly take in every single detail of the building they're in as he talks to one of his old friends.

The witch tracks where Elena's flash drive is. Damon waits and gets a little more wrapped up than he had previously intended, and then Elena's gone. He wants to curse at her, and tell her that she could be trying to find her short life's work in a dumpster or a trap, but he hails a cab after her after a quick apology. He's chasing after Elena, only this time it's literal.

* * *

The key is under the mat, she discovers. It's so cliche she almost laughs, but she remembers she's not there for that. She opens the door carefully, and lets out the breath she was holding. It's just a living room that looks like it's out of a magazine. She sees four doors and tries them all. The last one opens more easily than the others and sees four coffins. She closes the door and opens one. There's a girl with blonde hair, wearing a white flapper dress. She shuts it. The next one almost looks like Elijah, but he's too young and the clothes are at least a century old. The next one is Elijah, and she begins to feel awkward as she realizes she'll have to lean over his desiccated body and look through his pockets. She finds it after some awkward looking through pockets she didn't know existed in suit jackets. She hears a thump, and considers her options. She can take the dagger out of Elijah's chest who does _owe_ her and have him help her out. Or she can try to face whoever or whatever it is by herself. Elijah did betray her after all. It's not that hard to decide, she realizes. Elena yanks the dagger out of his chest and waits for a moment.

Blood, she realizes. Elijah's going to need blood after that. She'll cross that bridge when she gets to it, she thinks and his skin isn't as gray as it was before. At least she thinks it is. When Elijah opens his eyes, and stares at her, she offers her wrist. She's not really ready again to donate blood to an Original but she does it anyway. It's a minute before he lets go, and even then she still doesn't get to see his vampire face. Even though she could feel fangs embedded in her wrist. Her head feels like it's floating away and she puts her hand on her cheek to check if it's still there. She wonders when he got up to stand by her, and he bites his own wrist and offers it.

"I took too much. You need this."

She sighs, his voice is rough and this feels counterproductive, but she does it anyway. She misses his eyes moving over the room and then his head turning sharply as she does. She lets go and he offers his handkerchief. She takes it and he asks to borrow her phone for just a moment and tells her that the person outside isn't a threat. It's Damon, he informs as she wipes the vampire blood off her lips. The Salvatore can't get in because he hasn't been invited in. Elijah tells her he's arranged to have his siblings moved. Fighting Klaus is something for another day. There are things they need to talk about, he says but they are not for Damon's ears. They'll have to be for another day. She does have his cell phone number. She debates it. She could have left him daggered or refused her phone or blood. He could have let her bleed out or taken her to Klaus. It's always a game of risk with Elijah. She'll have to take her chances.

He leads her out, and Damon asks why she woke him up.

"I thought you were Klaus and Elijah owes me." Elena says simply as she hands Elijah the key and he puts it under the mat again.

"So what now?" Damon asks and Elijah looks at him and starts walking. Elena follows, so he has to follow.

"You two go back to Mystic Falls, I wake my siblings and take down Klaus." Elijah says simply and Damon shakes his head, even as they're getting into a cab that Elena managed to hail.

Elijah gives the driver an address and Elena is squished between Damon and Elijah as the door is shut.

"That's not going to work. How do we know you'll keep your word?" Damon says and Elijah resists the urge to roll his eyes as he retrieves his phone from his pocket.

"Elena, do you have the flash drive you gave me?" He inquires and she nods.

"She died for nothing. Why would she give it back to you?" Damon asks and she slips it into Elijah's unoccupied hand when Damon isn't looking at him. He didn't want to get into the stupid cab with Elijah but he's not leaving Elena alone with him again if he can prevent it.

"Because she knows I can be trusted. I gave her my word." Elijah says simply and Damon rolls his eyes.

"Yeah, your word that you broke." He retorts and Elena tells Damon to stop. If Klaus and Stefan find out they were in the same city as they were, it will not be pretty. She knows Damon could barely stand to look at the newspaper articles of Stefan's new hobby, but she had looked at all of them. Stefan doesn't have his emotions on, and they need to get out of Chicago.

"I'll think about it, Elijah. Damon, we need to go home."

"We need to stay and find Stefan." Damon says.

"No, we need to leave before Klaus finds us or figures out I was in that apartment and took the dagger out of Elijah's chest."

"You should listen to Elena, Damon." Elijah advises and Damon scoffs.

"I can take Klaus." Damon says and Elijah lets out a short bark of laughter.

"Elena, I'll arrange for someone to take you out of Chicago if Damon insists on staying." He says and Damon is torn.

"How does she know it would be safe?" Damon asks.

"Because I will arrange it and I'm taking that answer as a yes." Elijah says and Elena lends him her phone again because after a few days of being on, his phone was probably dead.

"I didn't say yes." Damon says and Elena looks at him with something in her eyes that he hasn't seen before.

"You kind of did." She says. Even if he does love her in some way, his main focus has always been his little brother. She can respect that. She would do the same if it was Jeremy. Damon doesn't say anything and the cab parks. Elijah pays for fare and tells them that they need to get out. Damon helps Elena out, and Elijah somehow manages to exit the cab gracefully.

"Where are we?" Elena asks.

"A safe house. You will get a text message from the driver I arranged for and Damon is free to go on his mission to find his brother." He might have insulted it if he hadn't tried to find redemption for Niklaus repeatedly throughout the centuries. He failed at driving a dagger through his little brother's heart so Niklaus put one through his heart instead. He won't make that mistake again.

"Are you leaving?" Elena asks as he closes the door to the cab before it speeds off.

"I am."

"Thank you." She says and he presses something into her hand. The cold metal feels like a key.

"Call me when you get back to Mystic Falls." He requests and she nods. Then he walks away at a human speed and she wants to ask him so many questions but instead she just walks up to the building Elijah pointed out and the door opens without the key. It's an apartment building, she discovers.

Damon follows her in.

"You could come with me." Damon suggests.

"I need to work on my sequel." Slips out of her lips as she walks up the stairs. The number on the key has to match the number on one of the doors. She finds it and unlocks it and enters the apartment.

"I can't work on my book if I'm dead." She says and Damon looks angry but he hasn't been invited in. She needs to convince him to go.

"Go find Stefan, Damon." She says and he almost protests but she reminds him that there's vervain and a few stakes in her purse. She'll be fine.

She wonders if it's just her imagination that he looked a little pained as he walked away.

* * *

The apartment is nice, there's food she doesn't touch and furniture that makes it appear like it's a home. But the light layer of dust suggests that it hasn't been used in a while.

It's a page and a half before her phone buzzes. Elijah was right, there's a text in English that her ride is there. The rest looks like it's in Italian, weirdly enough, the texts before the one in English.

* * *

She has to trust Elijah, she thinks before she leaves the safe haven of the apartment. She locks the door before she leaves and hurries out to meet the white car.

"You're the author who needs driven back to Virginia?" The woman asks and Elena nods. The car doors unlock and she opens the door in front of her and slides into the backseat, hoping she trusted the right person.

She writes in the long drive back, she calls Jenna and tells her the truth in fragments and tells her she'll get the full story when Elena makes it back home.

The key is heavy for such a small weight, and she worries for two hours off and on because the driver takes a different route than the way Damon drove, but then she recognizes the landmarks. Around lunch, the driver asks if she wants anything to eat and Elena agrees to getting food, because she is starting to get hungry after all. She has to remind the Salvatores sometimes, she's human, she needs to eat.

* * *

They drive, Elena writes and Elijah checks in on her. She tells him she's fine at the moment, and he tells her that Klaus is daggered. Damon should only be a few hours behind her with dragging Stefan back to Mystic Falls. She thanks him for the update and he also tells her that he got the book to where it needed to be. She'll have to deal with a few of the details, but it will get published before her senior year after all. The driver glances back when she lets out an excited noise.

She is so happy to see Mystic Falls she could cry. She doesn't and she gives an address a street away from her house. Even if Elijah trusts this stranger, she doesn't want the other woman to know where she lives. Elena thanks the driver and she drives off, the way they came.

* * *

She gives Jenna the details as they put ice cream into bowls. Jeremy hugs her unexpectedly and she hugs him back.

"I saw you yesterday." She says and he tells her that he just missed her.

* * *

She writes and writes, and the next week, Elijah is outside of her door, asking her to go on a walk with him. She says yes, she and her ally have a lot to talk about.

"My family is reunited and Niklaus is going to stay in a coffin for a few decades until I deem he might have learned his lesson. I will alert you before I consider doing so, of course. I don't believe they will, but I hope our paths cross again someday. Thank you, Elena." He says and she thanks him.

* * *

When Elena graduates college, and publishes two more books he knows. He just keeps tabs on her for her own safety, she is the doppelganger after all and he thought she might need his help again. Well. It appears he's been mistaken, he thinks as he sends an email to his contact in Belize.

It's another year after that until he gets a call that wakes him up from a restful nap.

"Elijah, I need your help." He instantly recognizes Elena's voice despite the fact that it's grown a little deeper.

"With what, and what is your location?" He inquires.

"I was just turned into a vampire. I'm in Los Angeles. I can text you the address." She says and he tells her he'll be there shortly.


	3. Fairy tale

The prompt for this chapter: A retelling of a fairytale.

* * *

Princess Elena was a beautiful baby. Partially because of a gift bestowed on her by a fairy, but everyone was sure she would have turned out beautiful anyway. The first of four gifts. The next gift given to her was grace, and the third fairy was quite ready to bestow her gift of music when the doors to the Great Hall burst open. The private ceremony was silenced as the fairy everyone had chosen to forget made an appearance. She was not known for her goodwill, and she was so old most people had assumed she would die soon. Unfortunately, she had not passed yet.

"I did not receive an invitation to this christening. Why?" The outcast fairy inquired. She was shunned by the others for her cruelty and dabbling in dark magic, it was no secret she was not liked. The three other fairies looked at her with wide, nervous eyes.

"We thought you were dead." The king stammered and she laughed wickedly.

"Dear king, I am very much alive. I see you're giving this darling bundle of joy gifts. Let me give one." The fairy demanded and the queen attempted to open her mouth. The dark fairy waved her hand and it shut. No one dared to move.

" When this princess is to turn eighteen years of age, she shall prick her finger with a spindle, and she will not-"

"Curse me instead. I can give you anything, please don't kill my daughter. Let me take her place." The king begged.

"I am not without mercy, and so, she and the kingdom will fall into a deep sleep for the rest of eternity." The fairy finished, glaring at the king foolish enough to interrupt her. That was a fit punishment, she decided, and disappeared into thin air.

The queen wept, and the king looked at the last fairy who had offered to present his daughter with a gift.

"Can you reverse her spell?" He asked. The third fairy shook her head.

"I cannot. But I will adjust the curse. She must be kissed by her true love within four days of the spell taking effect, or nothing will stop the curse. She will recognize of her true love, and her true love will recognize of her in return. When the time is right, he shall save us all." The fairy answered and the king wept for joy.

* * *

The castle could not be spindle free, and they suspected the fourth fairy might come back, so the three fairies who had gifted the princess offered to raise her. It would be safer. So with heavy hearts, the king and queen let the fairies take their only child, deep into the forest, to raise their daughter.

Elena was a happy child, and the fairies quietly worried, because she never mentioned her soulmate. But she smiled and picked flowers, and the fairies wondered if the king and queen had given her the gift of kindness as well, because Elena's kindness was unfailing. She had a happy life, she loved being outside, and doing things the fairies knew she would never learn if she was in the castle where she was supposed to be. She giggled and applauded the fairies when they used magic, it had been rather hard to do things the human way after all. The princess swore to keep their secret, and they taught her everything she wanted.

She learned how to read and write, the subjects that the highest tutors would have taught her, but they taught her other things that would come in handy when she would rule later. Elena loved flowers, and asked every year or two, why they couldn't go explore further than the forest. There were kings and queens, other fairies and other beautiful places to see. They just told her that she was not old enough, even with them at her side. A few days after she turned eighteen years old, perhaps.

She grows up before their eyes, it seemed, in barely any time at all. She doesn't see an unfamiliar face until she was seventeen years old, with three months left until her birthday. It was entirely by accident, she tells the fairies later.

* * *

"You need to start thinking about marriage." His father demands.

"Finn has already married, you are next in line." He continues and Elijah keeps his face composed.

"Perhaps Princess Caroline? I've heard she's lovely." His mother suggests. Elijah shakes his head.

"Niklaus is planning to marry Princess Caroline. I will not interfere with that. He seems quite taken with her." Elijah says, and he knows his brothers have been lucky in falling in love with those they are to marry, he will not stand between Niklaus and happiness. The kingdom of Princess Caroline is just far enough away that his parents would never visit. Elijah wishes he could be that lucky.

"I will give you until your birthday." His father decides, after some carefully placed words from his wife.

* * *

He doesn't want to think, he just wants to ride. So he does, and his focus narrows to just that, for a long time. He sees a few villages and towns, but passes them. He doesn't stop until he's in a forest he realizes he doesn't recognize.

"Are you lost?" A voice calls and he stills his horse completely. He turns his his head to see a beautiful woman looking at him with dark hair and caring eyes. He has to think for a moment, because he almost forgot how to breathe and there's something about her that seems familiar.

"I'm not lost." He answers after a moment. The woman smiles and he finds himself only able to focus on her.

"Town's a while over that way." She tells him and points, not entirely sure if he's lost or not. He seems familiar, but she hasn't met him before. She would remember a face that handsome. She finds herself trusting the gorgeous man on a horse.

"I'm sorry, but have we met before?" He inquires and she hesitantly shakes her head.

"I don't believe we have." She answers.

"I'm Elena." She introduces herself, and he wonders if he rode too far, if he's perhaps out of his kingdom. He wasn't aware of anyone as pretty as her in his father's domain. He leaves the title out of his name and tells her his name.

"I'm Elijah."

She smiles and then he hears another woman's voice, but much older than Elena, calling her name.

"I must go." She says, and he asks if she will be there the next day. He's going to be king, no one has ever lied to him or given him an unclear answer, but he finds himself not minding when she answers.

"Perhaps I will be."

His lips quirk into a grin as he moves his horse, and she walks away as the voice calls again.

* * *

The fairies notice her good mood, but she just tells them that the flowers were particularly beautiful today, and they add the flowers in her hand to a vase that will keep the flowers alive with magic.

She reads a new book after the fairies go to sleep, and she waits for the excited feeling in her stomach to cease. It doesn't, and she falls asleep halfway through the book with heavy eyes closing against her will.

* * *

He doesn't know how he does it, but he manages to find his way back. He wonders if Elena has forgotten when he sees movement above his head.

"I know pants are scandalous. But they're much easier to climb the trees in." He hears Elena say, and then she's nimbly moving down the branches and then she's on the ground.

"Hello." She says, suddenly nervous when his eyes are on her.

"Hello there." He says and that feeling in her stomach intensifies.

"Have you ever climbed a tree before?" She asks and he shakes his head.

"I'm afraid I have not." He says and he is glad he changed into riding clothes.

"I can fix that." She says and he finds himself in a tree before he knows it. Elena teaches him this, and the rational part of his brain knows this is only temporary, his father would never permit him to marry her. But he's seen almost every princess from every kingdom that was interested in his family, and none of them have managed to capture his interest like Elena has. It feels easy to be with Elena, it feels right. If he asked she would admit the same.

"One more branch." She tells him, and then he can see what she promised would be worth it. The view is simply stunning, and he lets go of all of his thoughts and worries for a moment.

* * *

It feels like bliss, and he knows that this kind of peace is hard to find, so he returns the next day. Then the day after that, and his siblings begin to notice his daily riding.

"Where are you riding to?" Niklaus asks after the first week.

"A beautiful place." Elijah answers and his brother begins to ask another question.

"Leave it alone." Elijah advises and his brother doesn't ask of it again. Despite King Mikael's best judgement, Klaus is happily married to Caroline and out of his house, two weeks after that. His brother deserves that happiness, but the happy memory is tainted by his father adding more pressure for Elijah to find a wife. He knows and he thinks Elena knows too, but they can't be permanent. He can't marry and sneak out and see her until they're old and with other people, but for a moment as he rides to see her, he entertains it. Just for a moment.

She teaches him how to do all sorts of things, and he teaches her a few things in return. It's a rather hot summer, but neither of them pay it very much mind. They talk, in the trees and in the grass and in the field of wildflowers nearby, about almost everything except their secrets. A few days before her birthday, she tells him that she might get to see the world once she turns eighteen. He's happy for her and she hugs him in excitement. He closes his eyes and burns it into his memory.

"I'll visit you someday." She says and he smiles at the thought. They've been out too long, he needs to go home and so does she, but neither hear the voice calling for her.

"Elena!" The fairy scolds, and then sees that she is not alone.

"You need to return home, young man." The fairy advises, and Elijah nods.

* * *

"Who is he? How long have you known him?" The fairies fire questions at her like arrows from a crossbow at her. She answers them, and when they ask if she loves him, she lies and tells them she doesn't. She's never seen them quite so mad, she's always been perfect. After dinner, she retreats to her room and writes in her latest journal. The fairies are happy they chose to appear human after deciding to raise Elena.

Elijah doesn't come the next day and her heart breaks a little, but she thinks that maybe he couldn't. She waits, and then she walks out of the house the night before her birthday, and it feels like her mind has been overtaken. She walks a long way, not caring that her journal is open on her bed or that she forgot her cloak for the almost cold air. She just walks and walks, and if she was in control of herself, she would wonder where she was going. She finds a spindle, and tries to fight it, she really does. The spindle is sharp but for some reason, she wants to touch it, and the fairies arrive just in time to see her fall to the ground.

* * *

They're yelled at, and scolded because the fate of his entire kingdom rests in the hands of a boy none of them have ever met, and one of the fairies disappears to look for the boy.

What she finds instead is Elena's open journal, and she travels to each kingdom, with word of Princess Elena.

As soon as the fairy appears, she recognizes Elijah, who shakes his head. She takes him anyway, and asks if he loves Elena. Mikael asks who Elena is, and he answers the fairy. He does, and she practically drags him out of the door, and flies as quickly as she can. Mikael's question goes unanswered.

"I found the one." She tells the other fairies who get a good look at Elijah. His brow is furrowed and they explain it all, and it's not his fault, Elena didn't know she was a princess and they didn't know he was a prince who was a more than suitable match.

* * *

He's led through a courtyard of sleeping people, everything has frozen where it was when the curse hit.

He's not a stranger to magic, his mother has fairy ancestry, but this worries him. They lead him through doors and hallways, and there Elena is. She's on an elaborate bed, and she's been dressed and made to look the part of the princess. She's beautiful regardless of what she wears or where she is, but hope grows in his chest for the first time in a long time. With that, he leans over and presses his lips against hers for a moment and removes them.

Elena's eyes open, and relief floods through him.

"Elijah?" She asks and he nods.

He explains everything and she asks if this means they could marry. The fairies answer that they very well could.

Elena loves her real parents and tells them that they shouldn't blame themselves, and after they've established that of course they like Elijah. He broke the curse and saved their kingdom, how could they not like him after that, really, he asks for her hand in marriage and she beams and says yes.

* * *

And they lived happily ever after.


	4. 3 Siblings (Mostly)

4\. The prompt for this story is: A story about three siblings.

Universe Alteration that the Originals were torn on if they should stay with Klaus or not, all of them were just undaggered at the same time. No Stefan leaving plotline or werewolf bite. No Original parents are completely dead in this. I know this isn't 2k, but this is all I wanted for this one.

* * *

He still doesn't entirely trust his brother. They flip a coin because they're torn, it's the middle of the night and he and Klaus are the only ones who know how to drive.

"You have Kol. I get Finn and Rebekah." Elijah says and Klaus knows he didn't imagine the icy edge to his older brother's words. Either way, he needs to explain electricity to Kol.

* * *

Rebekah is in a better place mentally after she changes out of the dress she's been in for over ninety years. She's thrilled with the bathroom, and promises to be out at some point.

Elijah begins to tell his brother what he missed during nine hundred years of being in a coffin. The inventions, what their siblings did, the events of the time. There's a tinge of nostalgia to his younger brother's voice, Finn notices. Elijah talks and he asks numerous questions, Finn is curious about the world they now exist in, the short hair and odd clothing.

* * *

Rebekah rejoins them as he begins to talk about the twentieth century. She fills in what she feels Elijah missed, and goes into more detail about the flapper era. It was fun, until Nik had daggered her.

Elijah continues, and tells them about everything he can think of. He goes into detail about the affairs of the human world and of the supernatural. He tells them of all of it, what Niklaus was doing and how hard he looked to find them.

He feels like he let them down. He has always tried to excel at any task put in front of him, but finding where Niklaus put them proved to be impossible.

"How did you find us?" Finn asks and Elijah shakes his head.

"We're still on the sixties. In due time." He needs to gather his thoughts and think of the best way to tell them about the last few months of history. He talks and talks, and eventually takes a sip of water before continuing. He feels like the history professor he's so often pretended to be to humans. Rebekah seems interested in the hair and the roles of men and women during each decade, and he tells her that he is a feminist. She now knows what that means and she's kept a blank face for most of the history lesson, but she beams at him.

"This is amazing, Finn. Anyone can vote." She says and he fails to understand it completely but whatever it is, it makes Rebekah happy. Therefore, it's probably good. Once he reaches the latest decade, he tells them about the movements for gay rights, the ice melting, the advances in technology and how secluded their brother became.

Rebekah beams at the first one.

"It's about time the humans started to think about that." She says, and Elijah nods.

He makes sure to tell them about the hairstyles, some of which Rebekah cringes at, and the products and clothing of the last few years. Some of the concepts and advances seem far fetched, so he takes them on a tour of the house Niklaus built. He shows them the kitchen and the inventions in it. Finn seems interested in running water and Elijah explains it to him. He shows them food they didn't have access to as humans, bananas, coffee, and other food that amazes his siblings. He shows them how to use blood bags without making a mess, and explains blood donations. It's all very interesting and overwhelming to Finn, and Elijah notices his silence.

Rebekah wants to see the bathroom next, so he leads them up the stairs. She's thrilled with the improved versions of the hair dryer and hair curler, and the make up. Judging by the bathroom, Niklaus was planning on undaggering Rebekah, at the very least. He shows them television, recliners, gaming systems and the internet in that room. Rebekah is excited where Finn is quietly concerned or reserved.

* * *

The beds of this decade are very comfortable, Finn admits aloud. Several of these new things make life better, but he wonders the cost as they make their way to the garage. Elijah shows them his car, and explains how it works. He won't drive, that's for another time. He apologizes, but he cannot show them an airplane, at least not for a while. As they sit in the car, Elijah tells them of the last few years.

He explains his mindset when he retrieved the doppelganger and lost her. Rebekah knows as soon as he mentions her that Elijah has feelings of some kind for her. He talks of the Salvatore brothers and the other inhabitants of Mystic Falls, both supernatural and human.

Rebekah asks if one of them is named Stefan, she met a beautiful ripper with that name before Klaus daggered her. Elijah nods, but tells her that she can't go see him. He may not have seen her in a few decades, but he knows his sister. She would have wanted him to drive there and see Stefan again.

"Unfortunately, I think Niklaus compelled him to forget about you two. You'll need to have him lift that before seeing him or he will be rather alarmed."

"What about the doppelganger?" Rebekah inquires. Elijah hesitantly tells them of Elena, her willingness to help him and her aunt's unfortunate health problem.

"Her biological father and her aunt's new husband are battling over who gets to take care of her and her brother." He tells herm and Rebekah thinks for a moment and asks how he undaggered them.

"Elena set up a distraction for Niklaus and undaggered me. I told her to leave, as I planned to undagger you." He says. It makes sense to Finn. He woke up hungry, having a human nearby would not have helped his self control.

From what he's gathered, Elijah cares for the doppelganger in some capacity.

"There is still a decision to be made." Elijah reminds them and his siblings nod, their heads full of new knowledge.

"I want to sleep on it." Rebekah tells him as she tries to conceal a yawn.

"That does not sound like a bad idea." Finn says.

"I shall stay awake then." He's not a fool, if they all fall asleep Niklaus might try to dagger them again. He won't allow that. Not again.

* * *

"I think he was serious. I want to be a family again and Nik can start making it up to me by giving Stefan his memories back." Rebekah says as she looks thoughtfully at her brother who stayed awake.

"How do you feel, Finn?" He asks his older brother.

"I would like to be a family. This world seems too confusing to muddle through alone." Finn says after a pause.

"Nik convinced me. I want to be a family again." They hear Kol announce as he enters the kitchen. Elijah wants to groan at that, couldn't they be a family in any other city, in any other town?

"I guess that's settled then." Klaus grins.


	5. London

AN: The prompt for this chapter is: A story set in London.

This is a mixture of headcanons, the song Like Real People Do, my love of X-Files and the prompt to be honest.

* * *

It's pouring, and Elena is thankful Caroline sent her a strong umbrella as a housewarming gift. She's chilled to the bone in the dress she's wearing and all she wants to do is go home to her warm flat. She wants to go home and make tea and watch Netflix with her cat.

She's thinking of her warm flat and not what's in front of her, and she bumps into someone. They're not human, she can tell and she looks up with wide eyes. Humans don't move as gracefully as the person she collided into, she knows from experience.

She moves her umbrella to apologize and the stranger does the same.

"Elijah?" She wasn't expecting to see the Original on her walk home or ever again actually.

"Elena." He says and she almost hates that he sounds the same. She feels like the awkward teenager she was back in Mystic Falls again. They had been effective allies and he had left with Klaus's body and his siblings after she graduated. She's changed but he hasn't and she almost envies him. She's glad that at least that his voice didn't change.

"What are you doing in London?" She asks and he answers.

"I live here."

"Me too." Elena tells him and she's reluctant to walk away, and he tells her that he would like to walk with her for a little while longer. She agrees to that but tells him that she needs to get home. She has someone waiting for her after all. Elijah looks intrigued and asks if it's a Salvatore. Her laughter is so loud a few people turn around to stare.

"It's just Scully. I'll introduce you." She says and then adds that she means if he wants to meet Scully or has the time to. He nods and tells her that he does. He wonders who Scully is, if it's a nickname for someone, a roommate or boyfriend perhaps.

It's not smart to invite him in, she knows. Caroline's the only vampire she's ever invited into her apartment, but Elijah saved her life. They used to be allies, they used to mean something. She can't ignore that either, and she does need to go home and feed Scully. She doesn't want to let him just disappear again, they were almost friends at one point. He notices her heartbeat as they walk but doesn't say anything.

She looks back, almost as if to make sure he's still there, he notes with amusement. She unlocks her door and invites him in. She immediately picks up something orange that moves to the door as she sets her umbrella down.

"You like the outdoors when it's dry. It's wet out there, sweetie." Elena murmurs to the mass of orange fur purring against her.

"Elijah, this is Scully." She says and he nods as he shuts the door.

She moves the curtains in her living room, and Scully looks annoyed when she sees that it's raining.

"Scully the cat." He can't keep the amusement out of his voice and she rolls her eyes.

"Yes. I found her outside my door while I was watching X-Files. It was the only name I could think of at the time, but she watches it with me. I think it fits." Elena defends herself and her cat. She's a little worried actually, Scully has never approved of anyone she's ever brought home except Caroline.

The cat stares at him from her place on Elena's shoulder and Elena sets her down on the floor.

The cat peers up at him and Elena holds her breath. After circling around him, he feels the cat rub against his leg. Interesting. Elena lets out a sigh of relief.

"That's crazy." She tells him as he looks up from the cat purring against him.

"What is?" He inquires.

"Scully's never liked anyone but Caroline before. Caroline had to take her for a week and she met humans and vampires. Scully's only ever liked three people before. She's picky." Elena informs him.

"Scully is smart." He corrects and she smiles when she realizes Elijah will have orange cat hair on his suit pants. He seems to be completely fine with it and even picks her cat up.

"You're really good with her." Elena notes as she fills her cat's food bowl.

"I am adept at dealing with several different species." Elijah responds and she asks how he's been as Scully jumps out of his arms.

She has to laugh at his expression, he looks almost hurt by her cat of all things.

"Scully might like you, but she chooses food over everyone." Elena explains and he chuckles at that.

"I'm doing well. I must confess I'm impressed by the fact you've remained human after leaving Mystic Falls." He says.

"Me too." She admits.

His phone rings and she has work to do, but she asks if he might want to get coffee sometime. He tells her he'd like that, and she gives him her phone number before seeing him out.

"It was nice to see you again." He says.

"Hopefully we'll see each other again sometime soon." She says and he nods.

Scully looks disappointed that Elijah isn't coming back, but settles on her Elena's lap as her namesake appears on the TV.

* * *

She does text him the next morning before she starts writing for the day and he responds quickly. They end up making plans for tea on Thursday, and she tells him that Scully is staring at her phone waiting for his reply. Elijah jokes and says that maybe her cat misses him. Maybe, she replies.

"Do you miss Elijah, Scully?" She asks and her cat just purrs.

* * *

Thursday is just as rainy, and she hurries into the coffee shop they agreed upon.

"How are you?" She asks quietly as she sees him walk towards her. He stands next to her in the line before answering.

"I'm doing well. I'm a few pages away from finishing a book and sending it to my publisher." He informs her and her eyes widen.

"You write?" She asks, she's never considered the possibility that Elijah did that. She hasn't thought about Elijah very much since she left Mystic Falls actually, when she thinks about it.

"I do." He confirms and she asks if she can read something he's written sometime. He confirms that as it's her turn to order. Elena keeps asking questions as they find a booth to sit in, and he asks questions as well. She tells herself that she's not staring at his lips as he takes a sip of his coffee. Elijah notices that her heartbeat increases but doesn't comment on it, it could easily be a myriad of things.

"We've been here for an hour." She notices and he looks at her with something she can't identify in his eyes.

"Do you have plans?" He inquires and she shakes her head.

"It didn't feel like an hour." She admits and he almost grins but refrains.

"Are you still interested in seeing some of my published works?" He asks and she nods.

"I ghost-write, but I'd like to publish my own things someday." She admits and he is intrigued.

"I thought you were planning to become a journalist?" He remembers her telling him that years ago.

"Things change. Everyone tells me I'm better at writing fiction anyway." She tells him as they get out of their booth.

"My flat isn't that far away if you would like to see some of my books today." Elijah mentions and she smiles at him.

"I'd love that." She says and he lets a smirk grace his lips.

"Excellent."

* * *

There are so many books that she feels like she needs to be immortal, just to have enough time to claim she's read them all.

"How many of them are yours?" She asks and he points to a few shelves.

Elijah's flat is gorgeous, modern with old touches, and so many books she feels like she's in a library.

"I've read this one." She tells him, pointing to one of them.

"It's a required book for a few history classes." He informs her and she tells him she found a copy in a bookstore and bought it.

He's interested in that, but she seems more interested in his books than him. She settles in his armchair, with her wet shoes, umbrella and coat dying in his entryway. He glances up from his own book every so often, it's almost surreal to have her sitting in his apartment. He's a few chapters in when her stomach growls loudly. She turns red, blood rushing to her face.

"I should probably go home." She says and he doesn't understand it but she wants to be in her presence just a little while longer, he doesn't want to see her leave just yet.

"Despite being a vampire I am a proficient cook. You could stay for dinner." He finds himself suggesting and she looks interested.

"That's an offer I can't turn down." She says and follows him to his kitchen.

* * *

Elijah is a very good cook, and she asks if she can have his recipe by chance. He doesn't answer that, just looks amused as she helps him clean up.

"Fine. Keep your magical recipes to yourself then." She jokes and he chuckles at that. It's so _easy_ somehow, to slip into the easiness of being in a room together.

He encourages her to read as much as possible and she ends up leaving his house with several books, carefully wrapped to stay dry. He accompanies her to her apartment and she invites him to watch an episode of X-Files with her. He tells her that he remembers when it first aired and she rolls her eyes.

"Not all of us can remember back to the Stone Age." She retorts and he can't remember the last person he allowed to speak to him that way. But Elena isn't saying it maliciously, and he lets it go.

"You're right of course, you are an infant in comparison, then." He says and she pauses the theme song to playfully argue back.

Something starts in her stomach as she look at him with a victorious smile, but she doesn't know he felt it first.

* * *

It takes weeks of regular visits and half a season of X-Files for him to realize it. She looks for a few seconds longer than necessary when he removes his suit jacket, and he knows. She doesn't want him just as a friend, she doesn't want him as an ally. The signs he missed before that moment play in his mind, the puzzle pieces click. He doesn't want her as friend or ally either, he knows as she asks him something he doesn't hear.

He moves closer and she leans in, and she doesn't move away when his hand is on her neck. Her heart just pounds and he moves closer, closer and she closes the distance. She kisses him and she's so human that he has to marvel at it. He finds out what makes her pulse jump and what makes her melt, and he's about to move her closer to him when he realizes there's something on both of them. She breaks away, her heart working to catch up with her lungs and he sees Scully stretched over them.

She starts to laugh, and he does too.


	6. Something Lost

The prompt for this chapter is: A story about finding something that has been lost.

This is like a bad mix between a certain movie and season four of a different tv series.

* * *

Elijah finds her by her heartbeat, and wraps his arms around her when he does. She's cold, cold in the summer dress he had seen her in last. He wonders where she's been, he hasn't slept since he knew she was missing. Not that he wanted to sleep while Elena was gone, but the time of him being able to sleep without knowing Elena's location had passed years ago. It's been days but it felt like the longest years of his life instead of fifty four hours.

Elena's okay now. That is all that matters. Now everyone else can breathe with ease, he was more than ready to rip out a few hearts to determine what had happened to her.

"Elena." He says her name with so much relief that she feels a little mean.

"Who are you?" She asks, her brow furrowed. Her eyes are soft and tinged with confusion, he is a foot away in a few seconds.

"Elena." The handsome man says her name like he knows her well and she stares at him. She can't place the accent or the face.

"Where am I? I don't-I don't know you." She's tried to think of him, but nothing comes to mind, not even a name. There's not sudden flicker of memory, she just stares at him. It's dark and it's starting to grow cold, she can feel it seeping into her bones as she looks up at the streetlight a few feet away. She shivers and he takes off his suit jacket and hands it to her. She looks at him and then at the suit jacket before she slips it on. It's warm, warmer than she thought it would be. She adjusts it for a moment and he looks at her with interested eyes as she does.

"You're outside of New Orleans. I'm Elijah. What's the last thing you remember?" He asks and she lowers her head and closes her eyes.

"Celebrating the New Year." She says and he asks which year.

"2010." Elena says and his heart starts to fragment as she stares at him with curious eyes.

"It's February." He says and she relaxes.

"Of 2016." He continues and she looks at him with wide eyes and a panicked look that hurts him.

"Who are you? To me, I mean." She asks and she thinks that he just looks sad and broken. Judging by the speed, he's a vampire, most likely older than Stefan and Damon. She wonders if it's impolite to ask him his age, or a few more questions. If he had wanted to hurt her by now, he would have already done it. She wonders what relationship she could possibly have with the man in the suit and he answers.

"I'm your husband." He says and her eyes are even wider.

* * *

She looks at the house like they didn't pick it out together, like she's never seen it before. He keeps a neutral expression as he closes the door. Amnesia, he remembers the medical definition and how to care for an amnesiac patient as he looks at her. She's not wearing her wedding ring and he has to remember that she doesn't remember him. She just looks at him blankly, and he's almost startled when that expression changes.

"I want Caroline and Bonnie." She says, a familiar determination in her eyes.

"I'll call Caroline. Bonnie's in Atlanta, it might take her longer to get here." Elijah tells her and she nods. He takes his phone out of his pocket and sends a mass text to the people who matter before he calls one of them.

"Not at all? She doesn't remember anything about you?" Caroline asks and he confirms it.

"I'm so sorry Elijah." She's upset that Elena doesn't remember the last six years, but Elena still remembers her. Elena has no memory at all of Elijah and she knows that has to be hard on him.

"I'm bringing Klaus. We're on our way." Caroline assures him and he thanks her. He calls Bonnie and she tells him she'll be over in the morning, it's late and she needs sleep before she drives for a few hours. He understands that, and is thankful she's coming at all. He hangs up and watches Elena as she wanders around their house, looking at the pictures and furniture. He observes her and she doesn't pay him much attention.

He looks like he just lost someone, and she supposes that he lost whoever she was in the last few years. He doesn't follow her as she walks upstairs, and she wants to tell him something reassuring but stays silent. She might just make things worse or touch a nerve, it's better not to say anything. He had no part in what happened to her, she can tell by his face. He's telling the truth, but she knew that somehow.

This is their house, she looked at the colors and furniture and known she would have bought it. She sees closed doors and explores the rooms. There's one that has a closet filled with suits, and she knows it's Elijah's. There are a few books she remembers reading at one point on the bookcase and a few dresses next to the suits, but it seems like Elijah has his own room. She finds a few bathrooms, a linen closet, a guest bedroom and she hears the doorbell ring as her hand is about to touch the next doorknob. She looks at it for a moment before she returns downstairs, and she hears Elijah speak, but not the words.

"Elena." A familiar voice says and she's snared in a hug.

"Care?" She asks and the person pulls away to confirm her identity.

"I'm so confused." Elena says and Caroline begins to explain as Elena tears up.

* * *

He looks at his younger brother, who presses something into his hands. It's a bottle of a century old wine and they look at each other. Klaus is first to speak.

"I figured you'd need it." He says, and Elijah nods.

"Thank you." He says succinctly and Klaus follows him to his study for a glass of that nice vintage.

* * *

"I don't belong here." Elena says and Caroline shakes her head and takes her hand.

"Come on. I'll show you something that will help you." The blonde says and Elena follows her up the stairs and through the mystery door. Elijah might not have wanted overwhelm her, but she's sure Elena wants answers. The room has cream colored walls and it reminds her of her room in Mystic Falls. Caroline begins to speak and she tucks the question away for later. The vampire answers the unspoken question on Elena's face.

"Sometimes you need space from each other. This is your room and Elijah has his own. You two sometimes have different schedules and you wanted your own space to write." Caroline explains and Elena nods. She catches a glimpse of herself in the mirror and stares. She's older, but she feels like a teenager. Elena doesn't feel as mature the person in the mirror appears to be.

"Here." She hears Caroline say and she shows her a shelf of journals.

"These are the last six years in your journals. I think you'll want to look them over soon." Caroline tells her and Elena peers at the neat row of journals on the bookcase near her bed. Elena asks her the questions she's been meaning to ask, and Caroline hears Elena's husband fall silent for a few minutes.

She can't stay the night, but she tells Elena that she'll see her the next day. Elena forgets to ask who the man with her is. The house feels stuffy, too quiet for such a large space as their visitors leave. She finds Elijah in his room and hands him his suit jacket. He notices her pajamas and wet hair.

"I came to return that. Goodnight." She says and she knows she should say something else, but she just wants to curl under unfamiliar covers and read her journals to figure out what happened in the gap of memory she's missing. Elijah's voice is quiet as he thanks her, and she slips into the unfamiliar room a few feet away. He's told her that if she needs anything, anything at all, he's there for her. It's a little overwhelming although she knows he most likely doesn't intend to come off that way. He seems very intense, and she wonders how they met.

She reads through a few extra weeks in the journal she remembers the most, and wonders about Stefan. Clearly their relationship didn't work as well as she had thought it had, and she looks at her fingers. She's not wearing a ring. She begins to write a list of all of the questions she wants answered, and continues reading. She had an interesting view on Elijah, Elena thinks as she turns a page.

She reads and reads to catch up to her senior year, and falls asleep in the middle of an entry. She needs to know, but her eyes are heavy and she's fairly sure she's safe. Her head sinks into the pillow and she tells herself she'll continue reading when she wakes up.

* * *

He can hear her turning pages, and her steady heartbeat. It feels so absurd to miss someone who's in the next room, but he wants the Elena who married him. It's selfish to think of himself, but he does it for another minute before he focuses on anything else. He checks in on her, like so many other nights. It's a habit, and he has to remember that the Elena sleeping in her bed won't react like his Elena would, to anything. The diary and list stay on her bed and he doesn't touch her. There are no quiet spoken reminders of his love for her, her hair stays in her face, he doesn't wish her sweet dreams. After a moment, he leaves and closes the door silently as he does.

* * *

The morning is bright, and he resists following their normal routine. He gets up for the day and makes Elena tea as he drinks his own breakfast. She'll want the caffeine when she makes her way down to the kitchen. He reads the newspaper and waits. Bonnie calls him as Elena walks down the stairs and he answers the call. She tells him that she'll be in New Orleans by lunchtime, and asks about Elena.

"She doesn't remember anything after New Year's?" Bonnie asks.

"No. She doesn't." Elijah says and he hears Bonnie let out a sigh.

"I'm sorry." She offers. They haven't always been on the best of terms, she thought he was taking Elena away from her when they were in the early stages of their relationship. Elena told Elijah about the spell his mother did to kill his siblings and took his side. Elena started to side with Elijah more often after that and she didn't understand it. Elijah knows that she's being sincere, despite their differences, they both love Elena. Speaking of Elena, she's just walked into the room.

"Elena is safe. I value that over anything else at the moment." He says and he sees her look at him with interest. He points to the cup of tea on the counter for her.

"Tea. It has vervain in it." He tells Elena as he listens to Bonnie speak.

Elena is safe, and while she lacks her memories, she isn't being harmed. She looks at him with confused eyes, but she isn't dead, she isn't being tortured, he has to stop himself. The possibilities are too numerous for him to think of. He responds to Bonnie and she wants to speak to Elena. He hands her the phone. She takes a sip of the tea and thanks him quietly. He leaves the room to give the illusion of privacy. He's never been masochistic and he doesn't want to hear what Elena thinks of him.

* * *

"Enough about me. How are you doing right now? What do you think of Elijah?" Bonnie asks and Elena has to think about it.

"He's tall." She says and Bonnie resists the urge to roll her eyes.

"He seems intense. He seems very intense about me. He's attractive underneath the scariness and intensity." Elena says and Bonnie holds back a laugh.

"I'd hope you'd still find him attractive." Bonnie jokes and Elena laughs at that.

* * *

He writes until he hears Elena walking up the stairs. She knocks and he opens the door. She hands him his phone and he thanks her. She seems to be doing better, he notes as he looks at her briefly before she tells him she'll be in her room. It's almost funny in a way, he's writing in his journal and Elena is reading hers.

* * *

Elena notes the changes in her writing with each journal, and she finishes up to her last entry. She was happy with Elijah, she was content with her life before she lost her memory. She notes the changes that she went through, the scars that aren't new except to her, the longer hair and fuller figure. It's so odd, she's not an adult mentally, but she is physically an adult. She starts a journal entry and writes it all down.

* * *

"Bonnie!" Elena says and she's not used to being tackled by Elena, so she does stumble a little bit.

"Hi." Bonnie says and Elena grins. Bonnie is familiar enough for her to be comfortable. She misses the few words the witch murmurs into Elena's shoulder and Elena pulls away.

"I'll be right back." Bonnie assures her and Elena nods. She finishes her entry and waits.

* * *

"I can't tell who, but someone cast a spell on her. This is magical, not medical." She tells the Original across from her. Elijah's body almost completely relaxes and the effect is startling.

"Can you reverse it?" Elijah inquires and she shakes her head.

"Not by myself. But, if I have the witch and her grimoire, I think I could. Can you tell Elena to answer her phone? She doesn't seem to remember that those exist either." Bonnie says and he looks at her interestedly.

"I think we have a plan." Elijah says and Bonnie waits for him to tell her about it.

* * *

It takes four days, three spells and two calls to the phone company before they find Elena's smartphone. It's in a store close by where he found her, a new age Wicca place Elena had wondered about when they passed by it. He realizes Elena's amnesia was caused by his actions.

* * *

"Can you stay here for a few hours? Bonnie and I think we might have found something to help you get your memories back." Elijah tells her. She gives a hesitant smile.

"Yeah, of course." She answers and he gives her a small grin in return.

* * *

"I angered one of the members of this coven by killing her mentor. I thought the coven had learned its lesson and moved on. Apparently not." Elijah says with a nonchalance that blows her away. She messes with the car radio for a moment.

"What did you kill her for?" Bonnie doesn't agree with very many of his methods, but they have the same priority. Elijah lets out a great sigh.

"She tried to kill Klaus and I. Then she threatened to come after those we loved, but Klaus told her we did not love and we did not care. He took off her head and I gave what was left of her body to her coven."

"To show that they shouldn't mess with the Originals?" Bonnie's voice holds a tone of mocking and he shakes his head.

"That was Klaus's idea, but everyone should be allowed to bury their dead, especially witches." He says and Bonnie looks at him in a new light.

"You forget that my mother was a witch. Rebekah and Kol were taught how to use magic as children, before we were turned." Elijah informs her and she points out their target, walking into the store.

"Now we wait for her to come out." Elijah says simply and she has to laugh at the fact that she's on a stakeout with her best friend's husband.

"I've always disliked cop movies." She says and they talk, but she can tell his focus is partially with Elena.

* * *

The witch is harder to carry than she thought, but Elijah lifts her like she weighs nothing and trusts her with the grimoire.

"If we get arrested, you have to compel the cops _and_ pay my bail." Bonnie tells him as they enter the house. He grins, and tells her it's a deal.

"Where do you want to set up? What do you need?"

"Your living room will do nicely if you move the coffee table." Bonnie tells him and he sets the other witch down gently on the floor. While he moves the table, she rattles off a list of what she knows she needs and what she needs to reverse the spell according to the grimoire.

"And Elena's wedding ring." She finishes and he nods.

* * *

He finds the ring as he talks to Elena, it's next to her sink and she tells him she's rereading her favorite book series.

"Well, according to the journals this is my favorite series. I'm a chapter away from finishing it." She corrects and he smiles before he tells her the plan.

"You'll be excited to have her back." Elena says and he looks at her and furrows his brow.

"The Elena you're used to." She says and he nods.

"I'd love you in any form or universe. But she is the one I'm more used to and I'm sure you'd prefer to Stefan to me." The words cut him on their way out, like glass in his throat. Elena looks at him with those curious eyes and shakes her head.

"There was always something holding Stefan and I back. We were fragile. You and I seem to be partners and equals. I like that better." She tells him honestly and he rewards her with a real, full smile. She hopes the Elena who remembers him gets to see that often.

"Let's go downstairs." He says and she follows him, book in hand.

* * *

"Follow along with me." Bonnie commands and the other witch recites with her. It's amazing what a well said threat can do, Bonnie thinks as she and the other witch work on reversing the spell. One day of memories comes back and Elena's eyes slam shut, her face contorts with pain and she reaches for Elijah. He holds her and asks the witches to stop.

"My head feels like it's going to explode." She whispers and he asks for a different way to reverse it.

* * *

He slides the ring onto her finger and looks up at her. Elena blinks a few times, and he's almost worried and then she throws herself at him. Her lips are on his before he can register it and he kisses her back for minute. They pull apart and she hugs Bonnie too. She misses the look Elijah sends the other witch's way, eyes full of something dark.

"It's good to have you back." Bonnie says.

"It's good to be back." Elena says as she thinks of the days she couldn't remember. Elijah's hand finds hers.

"Good." Her husband says and a smile pulls at her lips.


	7. Journey

AN: Also known as the Jessica Jones au. Dedicated to Caitlin. Sorry this was late, but Caitlin died and she is the most important person in the world to me. Nothing feels real or right. None of this is right. I hope this story doesn't feel depressing. Sorry for the wait.

* * *

He takes a moment to wait, to reconsider before his hand is to make contact with the door. Then, he firmly knocks, one two three times. He's the only person in the beige hallway, and a woman shorter than him opens the locked door to Gilbert Investigations.

"Hello." She says and he asks if she's available to discuss a possible case. She widens the door and lets him in.

* * *

The office is nice, he can see other white doors that might lead to other offices and rooms, but he focuses on the woman at the desk. She looks like someone he'd pass in a crowd, but beautiful enough that he'd remember her face if he saw it somewhere else.

"You're Elena Gilbert?" He inquires and she nods.

"You mentioned a case." She points out, she doesn't want to deal with another client who searched for her on the internet and wants to know about her home life or Caroline. Not again, but the man in front of her screams power and knowledge just by how he sits. The suit adds to that, everything about him declares he's precise, to the lines of his expensive suit to the wrist his designer watch is on. Hopefully, he's a client who wants her to do a spouse investigation and it's simple and easy.

"My name is Elijah Smith." He says too slowly for it to be natural and she calls him out on it.

"You're lying." She knows how to spot liars, she doesn't understand why he'd lie about his name to her.

"You're right." He says and she raises an eyebrow. Usually people reacted with anger, not acceptance when she pointed that out. Maybe he's testing out her skills, she thinks.

"It's Elijah Mikaelson." He admits and looks at her carefully for her reaction.

"I haven't heard of you if that's what you're worried about." Elena admits and his eyes widen. That makes his life easier.

"My sister, Rebekah, is missing and I need someone to find her quickly and discreetly." He says.

"Why no police?" Elena asks.

"I can't report her as missing for personal reasons. I think she was kidnapped."

"Are these reasons going to affect my investigation?" Elena asks after a moment. Elijah shakes his head.

"I'll take the case." Elena decides before she tells him her terms and the legal agreements that come with them. He agrees to them easily, and she wonders if he'll even miss the sizeable check he'll give her once she finds his sister. She had objected, but he told her the check would cover any expenses and pay her a reasonable amount. It's hush money, and quite a bit of it at that.

He has two things she needs to know for them to find his sister. The first is that money isn't an object to him, if she needs any or a resource, he can provide it. The second is that talking to anyone about the case or the police is not an option.

"I don't talk to cops anyway." She tells him and he looks a little less tense after that. He hands her a folder. She opens it, to see a picture of a beautiful blonde who looks about her age.

"She wouldn't leave the city of her own free will. My brothers and I are here, and we've never been separated for very long as adults. I've always been within a few hours of my siblings. Rebekah didn't answer her phone an hour ago, so I entered her apartment. There was a struggle. I think she was kidnapped." Elijah says and she looks at him with interested eyes. She doesn't look clinical or inhuman, but there's something there that makes him open his mouth.

"Do you have any siblings?" He wonders and she nods.

"I have a younger brother. He's in an art school in Virginia." She says and her client digests that information.

"Tell me what you know and I'll go from there." Elena says as she grabs her notepad and he begins. He's got an accent she can't place and she'll run a check on him later, but this seems pressing. Some people don't check their phones regularly, but the sign of struggle catches her interest. If his family is as close knit as he claims, she can understand why he'd be worried.

"Give me an address and I'll investigate." Elena requests and he shakes his head.

"I'll take you there. You'll need me to get past the doorman." He informs her.

There's something about her latest client, she can't put her finger on it. There are dozens of private investigators who would kill for a case like this with a famous and rich client. He wonders why he picked her, as she tells him she'll be just a moment. She needs to grab her messenger bag before she goes anywhere.

He waits for her for a moment, and takes in the office. It's neat, but there are no personal touches. The investigator recommended to him is very interesting indeed.

They walk out of the building together and he hails a cab.

* * *

The doorman recognizes Elijah and asks who Elena is.

"She's a friend of my sister's. She's never visited before." Elijah excuses and the man nods and lets them through. Mr. Mikaelson clearly has no problem with lying when it comes to doing it for his family. She makes a mental note to call Jeremy soon as they walk to the elevators.

They don't speak in the elevator, there are other people who enter the after they do. She makes sure to keep him near and he presses the button for the level Rebekah lives on. Three people get off on level three, and two people get off on level five. Rebekah lives on level seven.

They both wonder about each other, she wonders why the businessman next to her was able to talk her into this case. He wonders why such a pretty girl is a private investigator when he knows she could be a model, and how often she talks to her brother. He lets her get out first, and takes the key out of his pocket.

She watches him for a moment, and notices the lack of cameras, and other three doors. The other occupants of the floor she assumes, she wonders if they saw anything and the door opens. She follows him in and he closes the door quietly but quickly as she does.

"Did you move anything when you first entered?" Elena asks. Her client shakes his head and she mentally praises him. It's rare to find a client like this, rich, careful, smart and caring. Not to mention attractive, but that's for another time. Work first, work always has to be first.

"Good. Don't move." She warns, and takes her camera out of her bag. She needs to get an exact idea of what happened. He doesn't mind her questions as she takes pictures, as she carefully tiptoes around the broken glass and mess of her apartment. There's no water for the flowers that have been drying on the floor, she notes.

Elena looks at the minimalist furniture and the disarray of the bottom floor of the apartment. The stairs and the second floor are completely intact. She squats for a moment and looks at it and puts the details together.

"She went missing about twelve hours ago." Elena says and he nods before he asks how she knew. He didn't provide a timeline. She points to the splayed flowers on the floor to his surprise. Due to the placement of the glass and the flowers, it looks like she was going to fill the vase with water, and someone came in before she did. There's nothing on the broken glass that she can see, it was supposed to be a deterrent for whoever came in.

"It looks like she ran over here, but she fell and they pulled her by her legs, which moved the coffee table. She pulled on the curtain, but it ripped. You forgot to mention you fixed that temporarily." Elena can see it, the slight dirt of the footprints adds to her theory. She walks carefully to snap a few more pictures, to see if she can get a brand off the tread. She sees fingernail scratches on one of the legs of the coffee table that prove her theory.

"Does Rebekah have any medical conditions? Is there medication she needs to take or allergies her kidnapper would need to be aware of?" Elena inquires and he nods.

"My siblings and I are allergic to vervain. It's a common plant, but it's not commonly used in anything. It's a standard mild reaction, she won't die from it in any quantity. She doesn't take any kind of medication." She can see his phone vibrate in his hands and he doesn't look at it.

"How long do you have before you need to get back to the office?" Elena asks him and he furrows his brow.

"I'm sorry?" He was under the impression she wanted him to talk about Rebekah, and help when possible.

"You look important, and I'm guessing you make Wall Street level money. I don't want to keep you if you need to get back to work." Elena says and a smirk pulls at his lips.

"What else can you tell about me?" He wonders and she sighs before she stares at him intensely for a moment. He makes the haughty look work for him, and most fidget under her intense look. His facial expression doesn't change. _That's interesting_ , she thinks.

"The suit is new, but it's not the first time you've worn it. You're not used to the weight of your watch, those shoes are either being broken in or not your favorite. They affect your walk. You and your siblings moved here within the last few years. You don't act like an all-knowing local, but you know enough to get by. You may be at a desk and meetings all day but you work out. Most men who wear suits around here are thinner because they don't have very much muscle." It's just a few things she picked up but he stares at her with a new look in his eyes.

"Amazing." He says and she grins and shakes her head.

"It's just what I'm good at. I'm sure you could tell me what stocks to buy and have expertise like that with things that you deal with." She says and the he asks the question only two other clients have gotten an honest answer to.

"Why do you do this?"

She could give the obvious answer, she's good at it and it pays nicely, but she can't.

"I was kidnapped when I was younger. I managed to escape and I made sure they got put away." Elena begins. The cheerful, playful P.I. he had met disappears, there's something darker under that.

"I help people who need it in ways the police can't. I'm good at this and I also can't stand desk jobs." She finishes and he watches her snap a few more pictures. She moves things, and he asks why she needed to know about allergies and medical conditions.

"If she was diabetic, that would limit her time, and a common allergy like peanut butter might affect the possibility that her kidnapper might kill her." He stiffens at that, and she notices his phone buzzing again. He doesn't pay it any attention. She can tell his attention is on her, but it doesn't make her uncomfortable. She's had clients who were creeps, he's just a concerned older brother.

"Is there anyone you can think of with a motive?" She asks as she walks past minimalist but comfortable furniture to the door. She peers through the peephole, and he pauses.

"Ex boyfriends or girlfriends she ended with on good terms, friends, co workers?" Elena suggests.

"Why do you think it's someone she knows?" Elijah wonders.

"There's a good ten feet from the door to the glass near the kitchen island. There's no sign of damage to the door and she has a peephole. She recognized this person and let them in. Then something changed."

"I can get you a list." Elijah Mikaelson says and she thanks him for that. She looks around for a few more details, and asks who recommended her. Most of her customers recommend each other, she doesn't have a large sign or anything that attracts attention.

"Marcel Gerard." The man says, and she pretends that she has the strength of a normal human and allow him to help her lift a portion of Rebekah's couch into the air.

"How do you know him?" Elena wonders, Marcel runs a gym in the city and owns quite a large amount of property in New Orleans.

"My family was in New Orleans for quite some time and we met Marcel there. He was quite taken with my sister and they dated for few years." Elijah says and Elena nods.

"Some of my methods can be unorthodox." She reminds him as she looks in Rebekah's kitchen. She opens the cabinets and looks at the contents.

"I don't care what you have to do, as long as you keep yourself safe and find my sister." Her client says and she nods.

"Does she have security cameras in her apartment or outside of it?" Elena asks and he shakes his head.

"Most of the people in this apartment pick this one over others because of the lack of cameras. They're old-fashioned or they don't want to be caught doing something." He explains and she digests that.

"I need to go to my office and work on this." Elena says and he nods again.

"If you need anything, I am available to help you find her. I'll send the list when I get back to my office." Elijah tells her.

"Thank you." Elena says, and tells him that he can return the apartment to normal, clean up the glass and flowers if he wants. It's a reminder, and she's done with the apartment. They can't ask the neighbors, Elena remembers as they walk out. Asking about Rebekah lets them know she is missing, or plants the idea in their minds.

"Do you have anyone you care about in the city?" He asks as they enter an empty elevator. He's curious, her job is dangerous at times and it could put others in danger.

"Caroline Forbes. Some of my clients talk to me after I've solved their case, like Marcel. But Caroline's my best friend."

"Caroline Forbes the radio talk show host?" Elijah asks incredulously and she nods with a smile as she pushes the button for the ground floor. He's quick, she's sure he'll figure out what that means in under three seconds. She's right.

"Which means you're-" He trails off.

"I'm Elena Gilbert, and also her adopted sister." She's sure he's heard the details about that, and how her parents died in a car crash. Elijah hails a cab as she looks at him. She tells the driver her address.

Everyone knows who she and Jeremy are once they hear Caroline's name. He knows her tragic backstory, now she's hoping he'll go back to his office or penthouse or wherever he spends his time, away from her. He has an intrigued look on his face and it's not fun anymore. It never is fun past the first few seconds.

She's not in the mood to talk about what a coma felt like, and how agonizing it was for Jeremy to almost have life support taken from him. He woke up before they pulled the plug and they sued the chemical company that hit them.

Elena thinks about it for a moment, how she can still remember her head moving against her will and looking at her parents. She shakes out of it. Her brother's alive and Caroline's parents adopted them. That's all that matters at the moment.

"I'll call if I need something." She says as the cab stops, and she pays what she owes. Elijah stays in the cab, and after a moment he closes the door. He watches Elena enter her apartment building and then he tells the driver another address.

* * *

"Alright Google, let's see what comes up for Rebekah Mikaelson." Elena says to her computer as it loads. Articles appear, and she reads through a few of them. The Mikaelson parents were Mikael and Esther, and she realizes that Elijah's parents died while he was young too. Elijah and his siblings inherited a prominent company that their father ran, and a large real estate empire. The oldest is Finn, then Elijah, Klaus, Kol, Rebekah and Henrik. Her eyes widen when she reads about the tragic accident that took the Mikaelson parents and Henrik. Poor Elijah, she thinks.

Well, technically, filthy rich Elijah, but still. Maybe he was trying to sympathize with her. Either way, she'll straighten it out after she finds Rebekah. She keeps digging and makes a few phone calls from her bedroom. Her laptop makes noise when she receives Elijah's list.

* * *

"Hello Marcel." Elijah says crisply into his phone. An empty office after a few carefully placed emails and rearranged meetings. Finally. He thought his phone would never cease ringing. He only has enough time for one phone call before he has to return back to work. His stomach growls. He ignores it.

"Hey. Did you go to the P.I. I recommended for anything yet?" Marcel asks and Elijah grins knowingly.

"She's very good at her job." Elijah says after a pause. Marcel lets out a loud laugh.

"She's also very pretty and right up your alley. Just your type." Marcel says and Elijah laughs.

"Yes Marcel, I clearly need help in the romance department. That's entirely why I went to the best private investigator in the city." Elijah retorts. Marcel's laughter just grows louder.

"I see her in here on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The girl's wicked strong." Marcel informs him and Elijah is intrigued.

"Did you know that she's _the_ Elena Gilbert that the Forbes family took in?" Elijah asks.

"Yeah. She doesn't talk about it often. Must have been hard to grow up with one of the highest paid child actresses in history. I've got to go, call you later." Marcel says and Elijah says goodbye before he hangs up. He ponders that for a few minutes.

* * *

The first forty eight hours are important, and six hours later, he calls her.

"How are you doing with the case?"

"Good. I think I have progress." Elena says, looking at her laptop.

"Can we discuss it over dinner, perhaps? I just escaped the office." He says and she suggests that she get delivery to her office. Someplace public means they could be overheard or spotted together. She doesn't want to be in the headlines as his first love interest. She wonders why she even thinks of that.

"I'll pay for it, I'll be there in ten minutes." Elijah says and she's not in the mood to argue with one of the richest clients she has.

"I hope you like Chinese." Elena says and he tells her his typical order in response.

"I'll see which one of you gets here first." Elena says and he laughs.

* * *

She knows all about the Mikaelsons now. They're interesting people. The family is Norwegian originally, then moved all over the globe. About a decade ago, the Mikaelsons settled in the States. Finn Mikaelson is happily married to his childhood sweetheart named Sage and helps run the company he and his siblings inherited. Elijah is what she thought, but wicked smart. He's not in the news very frequently but she notices something that sets him apart from his siblings- he has never had a romantic interest seen by the media. Elijah's very quiet and rightfully haughty. The accent might be from England, where he went to school for most of his life.

Klaus Mikaelson is one of his younger brothers and a world famous artist who owns a few galleries around the globe. Kol Mikaelson is a famous comedian with his own late night show and Rebekah runs a fashion empire. All of the siblings operate within the city.

There's more, but there's a knock on her door. There's a tall outline and she can make out a tie through the glass. She opens the door. It is Elijah after all and she informs him that he successfully beaten the deliveryman.

He smiles and she begins to show him what she has with her suspect list. She has a list varying from his best business partners to an aunt he's never spoken to. He looks through the list and only two people catch his attention.

Marcel is out of the running because he has neither time nor the resources, not that he was a likely suspect really, but his Aunt Dahlia caught his attention. He leans forward, he hasn't thought of his aunt in a very long time.

"She lives in Maine, right? In a little town on Franklin Street?" Elena asks and he nods. He remembers his mother tried to reach her repeatedly, and she wrote letters that always were sent back.

"Okay, listen to this." She begins, and there's a knock on the door.

"I'll get it." He tells her, already out of his seat. She can tell arguing with him might prove to be futile, so she lets him do what he wants.

"Thank you." She hears Elijah say as she moves her browser tabs around. He trades a plastic bag for a crisp bill. He doesn't bother with change.

The door is shut and he sets the cartons on the empty part of her desk. She lets him move things around.

"Your aunt has used her credit card in various towns from Maine down to New York City. She's currently in a motel room off the highway with get this-two beds." Elena finishes.

"You got into her credit card account?" He raises his eyebrows.

"Little clicking here and there, make the right phone call-it's not that hard." Elena says nonchalantly. He raises an eyebrow but she continues.

"I think she's making her way back to Maine with your sister. Any ideas on why she might do that?"

"Revenge. We haven't seen her since before our parents died. She didn't like my father and never forgave my mother for marrying him. I don't know why she only took Rebekah." Elijah says as he passes her a pint of fried rice.

"Do you want something to drink?" Elena asks before rattling off the beverage options she has.

"Just water, please." Elijah requests and she shuts her laptop and disappears for a moment, through one of the other white doors.

He tries to ponder what the hell his aunt is up to, and Elena returns with water.

"Thank you."

"Do you want to take it from here or do you want me to take a roadtrip to Maine?" Elena asks. The check is big enough to comfortably cover a few hundred dollars of gas.

"I think I'm up for a roadtrip. I'll cancel my schedule for the next few days." Elijah says nonchalantly and her jaw drops a little. Most people aren't so involved in their cases, and she usually keeps them from it. Elijah was different from the start, though.

"When do you want to leave?" Elena asks as she moves papers around on her desk and almost regrets it. A paper escapes from the top of her desk to underneath it. She'll have to get it later. She asks him to pass the wontons and he does.

"I'll get a car and we can leave in an hour or two, unless you have other cases." It'll be about eight o'clock at the latest, but she think she can make it work.

"I don't at the moment. I need to do a few things and then I'll call you."

"Sounds good." He says and they eat in silence for a few moments, it's good food. He's been hungry all day, once he returned to the office, he barely had time for coffee. She passes him the egg rolls. She's glad he called when he did, she was just about to order pizza.

They finish dinner and he makes a note of the name of the restaurant, it's good.

"Have fun packing." Elena says as he opens the door.

"You too." He says, and she thinks she hears the door close. She lifts the entire desk a few inches in the air to find the paper that slipped through, and the door opens again. It's a good test that she uses sometimes, and she realizes she can see feet through the space the desk usually occupies.

"I forgot my-" She hears Elijah say and realizes he saw.

"How?" He asks as she gently sets the desk down.

"The car crash my brother and I were in. I think it had to do with the chemicals. I'm a little bit faster, a little bit stronger. My senses are sharper." She's not going to bother hiding it. She can deny it all she wants, but he saw it.

"I'm very strong too. I can heal faster than anyone else." Elijah says and she sees him reach for her letter opener.

"No!" She says as she sees him pull his sleeve back and cut his wrist. It bleeds for a few seconds and the skin heals up. Elena moves around and touches it. It's completely smooth. He ignores the feeling in his stomach as she touches his wrist gingerly. It'd be stupid to fall for her. _Don't you dare,_ he thinks. He can't be weak and fall for her.

"So what about you? How'd you become like this?" She asks as she lets go of his wrist."Experimental vitamins. My siblings and I were part of a study on it because of my mother. They were supposed to boost our immune systems so we'd never be sick. Instead, we all have these abilities." Elijah says simply and she looks at him with wide eyes.

"Wow. Um, what did you forget?" Elena asks. It's a lot to take in.

"I forgot my phone." Elijah says and she hands it to him, it's next to her hand on the desk.

"This doesn't change anything. We're still going to find Rebekah." She says after a moment. There's still a case, there's still a missing girl who needs to be tracked down. That's her priority, regardless if he wants her help anymore. She waits for a moment.

"Good. I'll be waiting for your call." Elijah says, and walks out of the door with his phone. She takes a deep breath and calls Caroline.

* * *

"So he just cut his wrist? That's insane. But you and Jeremy not the only ones anymore. Do you think you can have wine or do you think you'll be driving?" Caroline asks as she pours herself a glass.

"I think we'll take turns, so I'll pass for now. But later, after this case is resolved, I'll take you up on that offer." Elena assures her. She didn't tell Caroline why he needs her services or his name, but the fact that her new client has powers too is too good to not tell. Caroline tells her everything and she tells Caroline most things. She doesn't say his name, but she knows Caroline won't tell anyone.

"I'll set up your office to show you're out, don't worry." Caroline says and Elena breathes a sigh of relief. "It shouldn't be more than a few days." The brunette tells her.

"Maine, doesn't that mean like an eight hour drive?" Caroline asks. Elena takes a sip of her water.

"Not including traffic." Elena says and Caroline groans.

"I'm sorry for you, that's going to suck. Let's just hope he likes decent music." Caroline says and Elena laughs. She can stay for just a few more minutes.

* * *

He arrives a few minutes after she calls, and she adjusts the duffel bag strap digging into her shoulder. He opens the trunk and she puts her bag next to the suitcase. She shuts the trunk and moves to the passenger seat. Her seatbelt clicks when he breaks the silence.

"I hope you like alternative music. The other stations are playing ads." Elijah says and Elena grins.

"This should be fun." Elena says as they watch traffic move before he can move out of park. He just laughs.

* * *

It's a while before they escape the city, and they make small talk. He's open about his abilities, and is interested in hers as well. Elijah seems to relax with each mile away from the city. She's surprised he has a car, and she asks why he didn't bring any of his siblings.

"It would look suspicious if Kol disappeared, Niklaus has a showing tonight, and Finn has meetings tonight." Elijah excuses. He knows his brothers would be there if they could, but honestly he has this handled. Plus he has her expertise to track Rebekah and her super strength won't hurt either.

"We'll be fine." Elijah assures her. Taking his sister from an elderly kidnapper shouldn't be very hard. Elena thinks that the drive might actually take longer, and more effort than the rescue.

* * *

They're an hour in on the highway, and Elena's talking when someone tries to get into their lane for no apparent reason. Elijah lets them into the lane, and slows down.

"Use your turn signal!" Elena says and Elijah laughs.

"I'm unsure why people don't use them. I knew a man who was a genius. Genius, has published papers, has three patents, and doesn't use his turn signal."

"Oh my god." Elena groans.

"At least there's less traffic here." Elijah says and Elena laughs.

* * *

He's funnier the closer they get to Maine, and she can't remember a time her ribs have hurt so much. She wonders how often he manages to get out of the office.

"I'm going to-" She begins but laughs.

"You're going-to kill-me." She says between her laughs. He just smirks.

"That sounds very counterproductive." He says so matter-of-factly that she lets out another giggle. His phone buzzes, but he ignores it.

"It's almost ten o'clock, why is your phone buzzing?" She wonders. It has to be work related or one of his brothers.

"It's most likely someone wondering about my whereabouts or why I'm not in the meeting Finn is in currently." He says dismissively as an upbeat song begins. She turns the volume down a smidge.

"A meeting? At this time of night? How late will it run?" Elena asks.

"To eleven at most. Different people in several different countries in an international company make for interesting meeting times." Elijah shrugs as he changes lanes.

"That's insane." Elena says, thinking of how important this must be to him.

"Life is insane. Sometimes all you can do is run with it." Elijah says sagely. Her phone buzzes and she looks at the bright screen.

"Is that important?" He asks. She answers that it's Caroline and that before he asks, all Caroline knows is that she's out of town on a case.

"You can meet her if you want." She says when she notes his interested look. He has something he wants to say, she can tell.

"Does Caroline know about your-abilities?" He inquires after a moment.

" Even if I hadn't grown up with her, I would have told her. Caroline found out around when I did. My brother developed them too. Caroline's parents suspected when we were younger, but Caroline kept our secret." Elena admits.

It's fascinating to hear about her life, and he encourages her to keep talking. She's beautiful when she talks about something she's interested in, he notes. She's beautiful all of the time, but he doesn't let his thoughts wander more than that. He has to focus on Rebekah and after they get her home safely, he needs to deal with the mess this whole affair has produced.

"I'm going to take a nap." She yawns and he nods.

* * *

The bright light of a gas station causes her to open her eyes. The remnants of her dream play in her head, Jeremy as a vampire hunter fades away. She blinks away the odd memory, and looks around. Right, the case with Elijah Mikaelson and his missing sister.

She sees Elijah moving around in the gas station and she closes her eyes for a moment. According to the GPS in the car, they're in New Hampshire and it's a few minutes after midnight.

She looks through her bag before she does anything else. Her phone is there, and it agrees with the GPS. So Elijah's been truthful so far. Good. Elena watches him walk over, they're the only people in near the vacant gas station, save for the one employee stuck with the night shift. Even the road nearby is quiet and still.

She wonders briefly, which one of them is stronger with their abilities. Elijah opens the door and hands her a plastic bag.

"I wasn't sure what you might want, so I bought a variety of things. Do you want coffee?" Elijah asks, as he sets two cups in the cupholders.

"Sure. I'll drive, you should get some sleep." Elena says and looks through the bag for one of the individually wrapped fruit pies she thinks she spotted. She finds it and makes happy noise. He raises an eyebrow, she recognizes it as a question.

"My mom loved these when I was a kid." She explains, as she moves her bag to the backseat. He watches her take a few careful bites of the pie before he carefully opens his door, and trades places with her. He notes that she makes sure her fingers stay clean of the pastry even though she must be hungry.

"Is that genetic?" Elijah teases and she pauses before she throws the wrapper away.

"Probably." She says, and his lips quirk into a grin.

"This one is decaf." Elijah points to one of the cups and Elena claims the other.

"I'll wake you up when we get close." Elena says as she adjusts the seat and the mirrors, and her fingers graze the volume button but he shakes his head.

"It's fine." He says and moves the seat back, and she watches his eyes close before she drives out of the gas station. Coffee mixes with the taste of the pie in her mouth and she takes another sip before the GPS speaks softly over a nostalgic ballad. She listens to it and drives away from the bright light of the gas station.

* * *

She drives, the roads are so quiet that she lets her mind wander. She moves when the GPS tells her to, but it's mostly but she focuses on the music and listens on that. There are other cars, but they're far away, and she focuses on the straight road, and someone's deep voice pours through the speakers singing about a place she's never been. It's nice to have the radio, but when the radio station is too far away even for the fancy black car she's driving she changes the source. Elijah has a flash drive full of music that's plugged in somewhere. She finds an artist she likes and listens, the steady beat a comfort as she turns the steering wheel slightly. She hopes he doesn't mind, but he does have good taste in music.

Elena doesn't think very much, that's for times where she isn't going a little over the already high speed limit. There are lights from towns and cities they pass by, and they're bright but distant. She looks at Elijah every so often, to make sure it's real or that he's asleep.

She hopes he's up for driving after they find his sister, because they're only thirty minutes away from his aunt's house and she is starting to get tired. She needs a nap if he wants her to make it to noon. She wakes him up as she pulls into a gas station, the fruit filled pies her mother loved have been devoured, and she throws away her trash. He looks at her with confusion for a moment and then he recognizes her and the song that's playing.

"We're too far away to get the radio station we were listening to when you fell asleep." She explains as she turns off the engine and unbuckles her seatbelt. He pulls a card from his suit jacket and hands it to her as she opens her door.

"For gas and whatever else you want." He explains and she nods.

"How close are we?" He asks as she gets out of the car.

"Thirty minutes. I need to sleep or we need to get your sister before noon because I'll pass out by then no matter how much coffee I drink. It's about five thirty." She tells him and he nods. She closes the car door.

"How long do you need to sleep to be at your best?" He asks, getting out of the car himself. He needs to stretch his legs. She gives him a list of a few items to buy, for the next day from the gas station before she answers.

"I need three or four hours at least." She says as she fills the car with gas.

"Then we'll get a few rooms and sleep until we're functional." Elijah suggests and she tells him there's a bed and breakfast a few streets away that should be open. He remembers that she doesn't have the job of private investigator for nothing.

"I hope they're open." Elijah says lightly and she nods as he walks away from the car.

* * *

They check in, with a woman who's surprised they're checking in. The woman gives them one room key.

"It has two beds. We don't have two rooms available." The blonde says apologetically and Elijah waves it off.

"That's fine. Thank you for your help." Elijah says politely. The blonde nods, relieved and Elena flashes her a smile before they carry their bags to the room.

He's a little more alert, so he checks the room for any flaws while she showers. He paces in his contemplation and answers his phone when Niklaus calls.

"Where are you?" His younger brother asks.

"Literally, or with retrieving our sister?" Elijah inquires. He can hear an annoyed noise at the other end.

"I am in Maine, and will be driving back with Rebekah within a few hours. I need to sleep and so does the person who is with me." He answers succinctly.

"She could be dead, Elijah." Niklaus reminds him and Elijah knows how his brother thinks, but Niklaus has never considered how Dahlia thinks.

"She isn't. Whatever Dahlia has planned, she wants Rebekah alive." Elijah assures his brother as he hears a door opening. Elena appears in the corner of his eye. She's in pajamas and she claims the bed by the window.

"Goodnight." He says quietly and she nods before her head hits the pillow.

"Who is with you?" His younger brother wants to know.

"You'll meet her soon enough. Goodbye, Niklaus." He says and hangs up. He needs to take a shower and sleep, and ensure no one will get into the room.

He makes sure that the doors and windows are locked, curtains drawn, and an alarm is set on his phone to wake them up before noon.

* * *

"Do you want breakfast or lunch?" Elena asks as she brushes her hair. He's thankful that his short hair doesn't need blow dried or half the things his sister does to her hair. He tells her that and she laughs.

"Lunch." Elijah decides, and her phone buzzes. There's a sandwich shop nearby that'll do nicely. After that, there's a gas station on the way to his aunt's house where they'll get food for Rebekah.

"Hey Caroline." She greets and Elijah looks interested but adjusts his tie.

"Hey, there's a client who wants to know when you'll be back. He's a repeat, his name is Gerard." Caroline says.

"Marcel? Tell him I'll be back by tomorrow to meet him." Elena requests.

"Will do. How are you and the mystery client?" Caroline asks and Elena laughs. She sees Elijah look at her and she waves it off.

"The mystery client and I are doing well, we'll be back a few hours after dinner. Don't make plans to see me until at least tomorrow morning." Elena advises.

"I miss you and you need to call Jeremy tomorrow." Caroline sings and Elena laughs.

"We can call Jeremy together, I have to go." Elena says and Caroline lets out a loud sigh.

"Let me know when you're back in the city. Goodbye." Caroline says.

"Goodbye." Elena says and hangs up. Usually she doesn't answer Caroline's calls while with a client, but she's also usually in the city and the client is away from her.

"Is Dahlia still making her way here or do you think she's home already?" Elijah inquires.

"Let me check." Elena says and he nods. She adjusts her jacket and gets her laptop out.

"She just bought doughnuts a few hours ago in her town, I'd say so." Elena says and he nods. The plan is in motion, and she is amazed at how well it's working so far other than convincing him that they need to eat and get food first and _then_ they'll grab Rebekah and get the hell out of Dodge. She wonders what kind of sandwiches he likes as she packs her bag and he glances at his phone.

"If you check us out of here I'll load the car." Elena proposes and he nods.

"Good idea." He says and he gives the room one last glance before they exit the room. He notices that Elena doesn't look back.

"I miss the city." She admits as they walk down the stairs and he nods in agreement.

"This place is too quiet." Elijah says and she laughs. It's true though, and he wordlessly hands her the keys and his suitcase when they reach the desk.

* * *

Once they get Rebekah, they need to _drive_ and not look back. She hopes Elijah has a plan to deal with his aunt, because she does not want to be involved in any more family drama. Repeat cases with families are usually filled with family drama that she doesn't need in her life, she thinks as she shuts the trunk. He can drive, she thinks. They'll determine which one of them will be the getaway driver when he's done with checking out.

* * *

Lunch is quick and he doesn't question the food she buys at the gas station. He looks at the bag she carries for a moment before he spotted a familiar wrapper. Elena bought more of the fruit pies she loves so much. The beginning of a grin curls his lips as her door shuts.

"Local police are still low tech here, this isn't a very high crime area." Elena reads aloud about their technology from her phone and he looks intrigued.

"It's a definite change from the city." He says after a moment.

"Yeah, it is." She agrees. She reads directions aloud and he follows them, to a place he's only ever seen in pictures. He misses the look on her face when she looks at him.

* * *

He parks across the street and they wait for a moment.

"This is where my mother and aunt grew up." Elijah says quietly and she looks at him. His mother is dead too, she remembers. There are so many things that she can say that she doesn't say anything.

"How do we know if she's home or not? The garage door is down." Elena points out and he tells her that his aunt isn't home.

"She converted the garage to another room a decade ago. She'd have to park in the driveway." Elijah says. Elena inhales and exhales.

"Let's do this." She says and gets out of the car. He follows suit and he locks the car. They walk quickly, but not suspiciously, to the back door. It's open, to Elena's surprise.

"Small town." Elijah reminds her quietly as she enters the house. He sneezes, and she looks at him. His eyes are watering and he looks miserable with a reddening face.

"Vervain." He says in explanation. She can smell something in the air, and she realizes she's never smelled it before. Such an innocuous smell is responsible for that reaction. Elena wonders how horrible his reaction would be if he didn't have quick healing. If this is barely anything, she's sure it'll just get worse the closer they get to Rebekah.

"It must be in the vents, I feel like my throat is closing up." Elijah tells her.

"That must be how she's keeping Rebekah here." She concludes. Elijah nods.

"I'll search through the house, give me a minute. I'll get her out of here." Elena says and he shakes his head.

"I'm coming with you." He says and she doesn't bother arguing with him.

"If I have to carry both of you out of here, I will." Elena says simply and his eyes are too watery for her to catch anything else in them. He looks absolutely miserable and it gets worse with each step, but he wants to find his sister. He may look terrible but he's also resolute. She can't fault him for it, she'd do the same for Jeremy.

The house is not very big, and she finds Rebekah, looking like Elijah in the converted garage. The air smells off especially, and Elena guesses that it's the vervain. Elijah is almost bent over with effort of being in the room.

"Rebekah?" Elena whispers to the blonde, bending down to reach her.

"Who are you?" The blonde murmurs, voice raspy.

"I'm going to get you out of here." Elena says, and the blonde doesn't fight her as she picks her up with ease.

"Rebekah." They hear Elijah cough as he makes sure there aren't any fingerprints on the doorknobs.

"Elijah?" Rebekah groans and Elena confirms it.

"That is Elijah. We need to get you both out of here." Elena says and Elijah is the first out, because she won't let him be the last one out. She doesn't want to lose track of him.

"Once we reach the car, I need you to start it while I get Rebekah into the backseat. I'll drive and I'm not stopping until we get out of Maine." Elena commands and she can feel Rebekah's head move in question, but Elijah nods and she hands him the keys as they make record time across the empty street. The car is unlocked, Rebekah is tucked away and the engine roars as Elena opens the door for the driver's side.

"Drive normally." Elijah advises and she asks him to hand her an energy drink from the gas station bag. He does, and she stops at the stop sign. The sound of the can being opened is loud in the quiet car is startling.

"Who are you?" Rebekah groans from her position in the backseat.

"I'm a private investigator your brother hired to find you." Elena answers and takes a sip of the brightly colored drink and waits for a car to pass before she continues driving. The feeling of the energy coursing through her is familiar and pleasant, and she wants this case to be over. Nothing against the Mikaelsons, but she wants to call her brother and fall asleep on Caroline's couch and get brunch the morning after. Normalcy is nice sometimes, she thinks as she focuses on driving.

"We have ten minutes until she gets home." Rebekah warns, as she closes her eyes.

"We'll be on the highway by then." Elena tells the siblings and they both breathe sighs of relief. Elijah looks better the farther away they get and she asks if there's anything she can do.

"We just needs a few minutes. Rebekah, when was the last time you ate?"

"I can't remember. I was too nauseated to eat very much. I might be up for something once I know we're safe." Rebekah says and Elijah tells her that they have food when she's ready for it.

Elena's focus narrows to driving and turns and twists of the road. When it gets too bright, Elijah offers her a pair of aviators, and she accepts them.

Rebekah sleeps in the backseat, and Elena chooses a band she likes that's a little more upbeat than what they had playing the night before.

Elijah's phone buzzes and he answers it to her surprise.

"We'll be back soon." Elijah's voice is quiet. Elena adjusts the volume of the music, and Elijah glances at Rebekah in the backseat. Elena doesn't listen to the conversation, she just drives. Unless it involves her, she doesn't care.

Red car, blue car, three white cars and a green car. She counts cars and waits for him to speak. He hangs up and increases the volume of the music.

She sips at her energy drink as the song changes."That was Finn." He says and she nods.

"Are you two going to be okay?" She asks, he looks fine but he looked miserable back there. She has a feeling she's among very few people who have ever seen him that vulnerable.

"We will be. I am capable of driving if you want to switch." He says and she shakes her head.

"I want to get past the state border before we switch." She tells him and it makes sense, but he switches the song that's playing.

* * *

Rebekah is nice but quiet, and Elena feels better the closer they get to the city. Home is so close and far away at the same time. She missed her own bed.

"One thing I didn't miss about this city is the traffic." Elijah says dryly as they wait for the light to turn green.

"Oh come on Elijah, you love driving in this." Rebekah teases and he rolls his eyes.

"I do not." He denies and Elena laughs. It seems like a century before they're close to her building.

"Thank you." Elijah says as she opens her door.

"You're welcome. Keep her safe, okay?" Elena asks and he nods.

"I will." He confirms. Elena grabs her bag out of the trunk and rewards him for his answer with a smile. She ignores the feeling in her stomach that begins when he smiles back. Elijah and Rebekah wait until they see her enter the building before they drive away.

* * *

"I am home and the case is over." Elena informs her best friend.

"Yay! Let's do brunch tomorrow and call Jeremy." Caroline suggests and Elena smiles at the thought as she unpacks.

"That sounds really nice." Elena admits and Caroline reminds her to check in with the customer who came while she was gone.

"I'll call him in a while. How are you?" Elena asks. Caroline's life is filled with normalcy and routine and it's nice to hear about it when hers isn't like that.

* * *

"Hey Marcel. What's up?" Elena greets and she can practically picture his smile.

"I need a background check on a possible future employee." He says and begins to lay out what he wants.

"Swing by my office tonight or tomorrow afternoon and we'll do the paperwork." Elena promises and he tells her that he'll look forward to seeing her tomorrow. She's a little relieved she can sleep soon, she doesn't think she has another energy drink in her apartment.

* * *

Brunch is nice and overpriced but Caroline pays.

"I missed the city." Elena admits as she stirs her coffee.

"I don't think I'd ever be able to move." Caroline agrees with a grin. The blonde's face turns serious.

"You'd better tell me if you want to move. Where you go, I go." She reminds her adopted sister.

"I will." Elena promises.

"Do you want to go shopping?" Caroline asks and Elena surveys the brightly lit hipster styled restaurant.

"Not this afternoon. One of my clients is going to come in and we're going to do paperwork." Elena apologizes.

"Are you busy tomorrow?" Caroline wonders and Elena shakes her head.

* * *

"That should be it." Elena says and Marcel grins.

"It's good to see you back in the city again, Gilbert." Her client says. She lets out a laugh.

"It's good to be back. I can't deal with the silence of other places." Marcel chuckles at that and tells her he'll see her soon. She smiles at that, and he leaves her office.

Paperwork is not the most exciting job, but she works on it anyway until she hears a knock at her door. She gets up and recognizes the man in the suit on the other side and opens the door.

"Hello." Elena says and he can hear the surprise in her voice.

"Hello again. I need this person investigated." Elijah Mikaelson says and she waits for him to continue.

"And I couldn't think of a better investigator." He finishes and she rolls her eyes.

"That was cheesy." She tells him.

"Is that a yes?" He inquires.

"It is." Elena confirms and they sit down.

"Tell me more." She requests as she begins to write on her notepad.


	8. War

AN: The story for this chapter is: A story set during a war.

This is a war set in a specific border city in Europe, a fictional war, set in the twentieth century. Dedicated to Caitlin.

* * *

It smells disgusting, the reek of blood and dirt mixed in with the dead and dying is not a pleasant smell. This is not a pleasant way to die either, he thinks. He regrets not sending his last letter to his siblings, he wonders who will tell them. At least, he thinks, he didn't fail his men.

"Is there anyone left over there?" He hears a harsh shout of a male voice. The voice is familiar, but he can't think of anything, of who it might be or who he is. He's bleeding and he's so _tired,_ he can barely think _._ The voice should sound close, he thinks distantly. It shouldn't sound so far away.

"I'm checking! Give me a few more minutes!" He hears a voice cry and the source can't be more than a few feet away.

"I'm here." He thinks he manages to say, he can't tell if he manages to make noise and move his lips at the same time or not. He wonders if he can feel anything anymore. There's a beautiful but tired face that appears in front of his suddenly and he wonders if he's already dead. Maybe this is the afterlife, maybe he already died-the thoughts run through his head slowly, but still faster than he thinks he can walk. He feels something tugging at his neck, moving his head. A flash of silver appears in his vision.

"Elijah Mikaelson. Alright Elijah, let's get you out of here." The woman says and he looks at her blankly before his vision is filled with inky darkness. He doesn't hear the shout that tears out of her throat that she needs some help over here, there are still soldiers who are alive. She looks at the bloody face and wonders if he's an American. Not that country loyalties matter, there's only two sides to this war and they're on the same side.

One of the unscathed soldiers helps her carry the stretcher, and swears.

"What, what is it?" The nurse asks.

"That's Captain Mikaelson. He's in charge of our group. He's first in and last out, always." The other soldier, she thinks is named Tommy, says. They're careful to avoid the others, the dead on the ground. The pair watches the other nurses and the others looking for anyone else alive as they walk. Elena doesn't know how to digest the information at the moment so she doesn't.

"Careful, there's a step up." The nurse says and he asks for her name as he carefully steps into the building.

"Elena Gilbert." The tired nurse says.

"Tommy Jones." The man across from her says and she offers an exhausted smile, a flash of pink lips and white teeth. Maybe if this was a different place, they'd shake hands, but his are covered in dirt and blood and hers are about to be with taking care of the man on the stretcher.

"Nice to meet you." She tells him sincerely, and he nods in agreement.

"Same to you. You're British, aren't you?" He wonders and she confirms it.

"Let's get Mr. Mikaelson over by that window. I'll handle it from there." Elena says and the soldier nods. He needs coffee and sleep and he wants to talk to his wife more than anything. Hopefully this war will end soon, he hopes as he walks away from his captain. He doesn't say that to the British brunette with her hair in a complicated braid his wife would be able to name. She's already busy with getting the damaged uniform off and evaluating the damage done to Mikaelson.

He yawns, and he knows he should care a little bit more, but he can't find it in himself to feel anything until he gets at least an hour of sleep.

* * *

He opens bleary eyes to look at the face of the woman he saw earlier. He tries to say something, but nothing comes out. A look of comprehension dawns on her pretty features and she presses something cool against his lips. He opens them, obidently. She saved his life, he thinks distantly as he feels pain and rational thought return.

Water floods his desert like throat and he swallows.

"Thank you." He says, and she smiles at him. It doesn't reach her eyes, but it's sincere enough. He wants to assess what's been done, what's been bandaged. He knows he's not in heaven or the afterlife despite the woman who is pretty enough to be an angel staring at him. There's too much pain for him to be dead. He doesn't know if he should feel relieved or not.

"I have a letter to send. I need to send it." He says and blinks with some effort. He tries to move to sit up right and she shakes her head and puts her hand on his shoulder, keeping him down. He's alarmed when he realizes he's not stronger than she is.

"I'll take care of your letter if you try not to move too much." She advises as she puts the glass on the nightstand next to him.

"How bad off am I?" He wonders.

"You have extensive bruising on your torso. I think you might have a rib injury but I won't know until the x-rays come back. You also have a cut on your back that needed stitches. The gash on your head isn't too big but head wounds bleed excessively for their size. You're pretty beat up. Just go to sleep. I'll get your letter before mail goes out tomorrow." The nurse tells him. He needs to heal up and she has other patients that need help.

"What's your name?" He asks as she begins to walk away.

"Gilbert. Elena Gilbert." The woman says and he thanks her before he joins the land of the unconscious again.

* * *

He dreams of home, he dreams of his siblings and the nurse who made sure he wasn't left behind. He wonders where her accent is from, and if she has siblings or if she's alone. Dreams are nonsensical, but he feels a sense of dread, that promises to haunt him. He wakes up with blood trickling past his eye and the worried British nurse who brought him inside looking at him.

"You're bleeding again. Don't move." She tells him sternly and he nods weakly. He can barely lift his head and he hates feeling helpless. Despite that, he lets her help him.

* * *

It continues like that, a day bleeds into a week and he's convinced into staying another week, even when he's allowed out of bed. He can wander around if he wants to, but he's not cleared for active duty yet, and his men are healing up as well or spending their time elsewhere. Technically none of them doing much other than for patrols and making the city safer, the enemy has retreated to their own base city of rubble and dust. It's just a waiting game and that's what worries him. The enemy will come back and try and take their city. He spends his time in bed and walking to visit other wounded, including his own soldiers. On the days he feels particularly well, he seeks out Nurse Gilbert to talk to her.

They talk about the war, and she talks about her other patients, and denies him a clean bill of health.

"You're not healed. If you rip your stitches in battle, it'll be my fault you died. I am not going to give it to you until you're actually healed." She tells him every time.

The stitches on his back haven't completely healed after all, and Nurse Gilbert worries about him. She feels responsible for him, and he only wants her to see him in such a weakened state. There are days he doesn't feel good or just sleeps, in the room he's been assigned. It must be the pills she gives him, because he does feel better but he likes being active more.

"Your soldiers want to see you." She reminds him regularly as she checks on his rib and the stitches on his back. The cut on his head is scaring up nicely.

"Not yet. Not until we have another battle or until you'll let me out of here." He always replies. He's had numerous injuries from protecting others throughout the years, including as a child. For such a handsome and injured man, she's surprised she can't see more scars on him.

"Maybe I'll just keep you here forever. I've looked at your medical record you know." She says and they're scripted, and he likes it. It's routine and he loves routine. He loved the normal before he was drafted, he had a precise routine. The semblance of normalcy, no matter how short, is so precious. He can remember his schedule when he was a civilian, down to the last minute. A schedule is hard to come by nowadays but he tries to be happy with his rough one.

It's not a bad life when the enemy is away, but the threat of them ruins the best times, he knows even as his soldiers visit the local bar, that they're limited to how much they can have, the enemy can come back and kill them all at any time. The anxiety and paranoia seems to seep into every moment.

* * *

He's released after he's been in the hospital for three weeks and six days. She warns him to be careful and he laughs, a loud sound that startles the birds outside. He likes her, and he tells her that. She needs to get back to work, and so does he, but he wants to tell her.

"I like you too." She smiles, and he makes the resolution to see her every day. He likes an organized schedule and hopes she can be part of his.

It starts at meals, they sit together and near his soldiers, Tommy Jones says hello sometimes, but most of the men just eat instead of speak. After a few days of that, they seek each other's company on the nights he isn't patrolling.

There are battles, and she has priorities, but after they've both dealt with the aftermath, they see each other. They pretend for a little while in the cover of night that they're normal. There's no guarantee of anything after the war, but they make plans anyway.

"I love you." He admits one day, and she almost looks startled before she tells him she loves him too. They revise their plans.

Maybe they'll move in together, and he'll meet her aunt and brother, and she'll meet his siblings. Their dreams change as they do, the war lasts longer than anyone had anticipated.

There's talk that they'll move in together after the war, maybe they'll get married. Talk of having a puppy changes to having more than one dog, and then children. The war wages on, but there's a fire in them. The possibility of a future sustains them when nothing else remains.

There has to be hope, Elena reminds him as she leans against him. There has to be, or nothing else matters. She's too sage to be here, in this place of blood and rubble. He doesn't tell her that, he doesn't want her to think that he doesn't want her with him because he does.

* * *

The oldest nurse in the hospital dies in her sleep one night, and she tells him that she wants to go that way someday. Peaceful, old and wrinkled. The body is sent back to the States. Elena tells him that it's fine, really, but the fact remains that she did admire and look up to that nurse. Now she's gone, hopefully to somewhere better, where dreams aren't the brightest light and it doesn't reek of blood all the time. He holds her as she cries that night, and a few other nights.

They talk about their dreams in the darkness, because in the morning he has to return to being stoic, and a figure for his men. But in the night, they can talk about their dreams, their hopes, their worries and their possibility of a future.

The stitches on his back are almost completely scarred when she leaves to check for living after a quick fight. It was just a few gunshots from enemy soldiers against the guards near the hospital. The enemy is dead, but the guards might have someone who's dead or injured. Jones and another soldier go out with her. Elena wishes the killing would stop, that this would have been resolved sooner.

Peace talks have been broadcasted on the radio lately though, the countries that are killing each other want to stop fighting. Of course, they want something in return for the end of the war, other than the ceasing of their soldiers being killed. Everyone but the people making money want the war to end.

She thinks that she'll see him off to America and she'll go home and then he'll come visit. Jenna and Jeremy could probably be convinced to move to the States if she was going there. She can't wait to meet his siblings, and spend the rest of her life with him. Someday, the war will be over and they'll buy a house, be parents. Elena can't think of anyone else she'd rather spend the rest of her life with.

She gives a reassuring wave to him, she knows he's watching from the window. That's his future wife, he thinks with a grin on his lips. Elena Mikaelson sounds lovely. The ring box in his pocket is a nice weight. Just a few hours until sunset, and he'll ask her to marry him with an actual ring this time. She'll say yes and he'll be the happiest man in the world.

Then the sound of a gun snaps him out of the thought, and he tears the door open and runs faster than he's ever remembered running. He sees the man who's firing near them and he shoots him with a gun from the dead guard by the step of the hospital. The shooting stops, and he looks around. Jones and the other soldier, Evans, are stone still.

"Elena!" He calls, hoping she ducked into one of the other abandoned buildings, that her kind heart didn't get her injured. He's not a praying person, but he prays to any god that's listening, he just wants Elena safe. He doesn't care about himself anymore, he just needs her okay. He is not a good person, but Elena is. Elena is full of light and optimism and beauty. _Please be okay,_ he thinks desperately.

"Here." He hears an odd noise and he looks to the ground. Elena is in the empty street, and her starkly white uniform is soaked in blood. Her lips are parted, he can see blood on her lips.

"Lung. Bullet hit-" She coughs, and more blood escapes. He looks at her, not understanding for a moment.

"Dying." She clarifies before she coughs again.

"No, no no no." The words escape his lips. She nods weakly.

"We were going to get married. I was going to propose again tonight with a real ring. I love you." The words are all a rush and she nods weakly.

"Love you." She says weakly, and he knows she doesn't have much time left.

"Jeremy. Jenna." She rasps and he nods.

"I'll tell them. I promise. Stay with me." He pleads, he'd do anything in the world to keep her with him. He'd sell his soul or die in her place if he could. His eyes start filling with water and he can't remember the last time he cried or let tears fall but he knows what's going to happen.

Her eyes begin to close and her body stills and the world becomes dark despite the embrace of night and Elena. The light of his life is gone. A little chunk of metal made everything crumble like a stone to dust.

* * *

The world ends. Unfortunately, not literally. The peace treaty becomes final the _next_ day. A day too late. They'll be sent home, but he requests to be sent to Britain. He has news he wants to deliver personally. His men cheer and so do the nurses, the war will be just a nightmare they'll forget with time. Elijah will never forget. The world is still very dark.


	9. Creepy

AN: The prompt for this story is: A creepy story. Sorry in advance.

No idea where my mind went for this one. Dedicated to Caitlin.

* * *

She smiles at him before she does anything else, including get out of the car. The house obscured by the tall, aging gate is a little unsettling. She spots the dead grass and the towering size, but it could be nice. The trees seem fairly healthy, but in the cold winter, it's hard to tell. There's a large amount of overgrown plants and grass that are dead or dying. She can see her breath as she takes it in. She can picture children playing in the yard with a dog. The grass can be cut and turned green, a swingset and playhouse easily constructed. It just needs some love and money put into it. Elena can already make a list of things they can do just for the exterior from a minute of looking.

Elijah looks at his wife, and her interested look. She's an open book to him, she wants this house so far. The relator carefully removes the locks from the gate, and Elijah ponders living there. It's not too close to the city but it's far enough away to be quiet. Their closest neighbors are a few miles away though and they'd have to live in town while it's being fixed.

The gate creaks open, the sound startles Elena out of whatever she's thinking about.

"You looked a thousand miles away." He murmurs to his wife and she grins.

"Just a few months in the future." She corrects and a smirk pulls at his lips.

"I don't know what condition the house is in. The last time anyone was in here was ten years ago." Their usually optimistic realtor warns, her pale lipstick has more color than she does. But she's Mikayla Neal damnit, and she's going to sell this house.

"I'm sure it's nothing we can't fix." Elijah says casually and she realtor nods unconvincingly. Elena notices it too, and as they walk past the gate, the realtor locks the gate with two locks.

"Right?" Elena asks and the realtor walks slowly to the decaying stone house, and her fingers twitch.

"Most of the previous owners have died in the house." The fidgeting blonde confesses and Elena looks at her husband.

"How?" Elijah presses. The blonde sighs, and turns to face them.

"The first was William Howell and his infant son named Jackson. Food poisoning from improperly cooked meat. The cook was fired and Howell's sold the estate to a lawyer named Fred Brewer. He drowned in the pool, and his brother sold it to a man who never visited the estate. I forget his name. He lived a long life and then his wife died of a heart attack the first time she visited. The last three owners haven't visited, except for Henry Darne who died about a decade ago when he tried to appraise this place to sell it. Locals say it's cursed and I'm not actually sure what the interior looks like." Their realtor admits and looks at the couple.

"Elena?" She hears her husband ask.

"Let's at least give it a chance." She hears herself say. The plants could be tamed, the house can be restored,and they could raise children in the sprawling house. It's definitely a big enough space to host Christmas and have all of their guests stay over, she thinks and he tells the realtor that they want to look inside.

It doesn't escape Elijah's notice that she visibly gulps, and looks at him.

* * *

The young realtor doesn't want to show them around the creepy estate that could be infested with god-knows-what and falling apart. But she did lose the bet, and the couple is willing to offer triple the asking price and she'll get a huge cut if she can sell the house. She remembers that the house key is in her pocket as she looks at the man in the suit and his wife.

"Here we go." She says under her breath and walks up the stone steps. The heavy wooden door protests heavily but the realtor pushes it open anyway. It will be fine, she tells herself. Just because most of the previous inhabitants died on the grounds doesn't mean this nice couple will. The first thing any of them notice is the amount of dust. It's very dusty, and their footprints show in the thick layer of it on the floor. The floor is made out of some kind of pale stone, it's quite beautiful actually. There's a decorative carpet that leads to a doorway, and Elijah can see his wife's mind working past it, and decorating.

There's no blood, no bodies decaying or broken windows like she thought. It's just local gossip, she thinks as the man makes his wife laugh. The sound echoes and the house doesn't feel quite so intimidating even as the floor creaks and groans. Still, she has to lead them up the stairs and through each room, and some are better than others. Some of the rooms are vacant, and others are filled with things left by previous owners. The creaky, protesting floors are definitely something that will need to be fixed by the couple if they buy the house.

It's a much bigger house than she had anticipated, and it takes over two hours to show the dusty, decaying interior, and then they return to the outside. She resists the urge to cough in front of her clients, but she's fairly sure she inhaled a pound of dust as they exit the house. The fact that the sprawling mansion property has more exterior features is annoying, but she's pretty sure the wife will convince the husband to buy the house.

It should go for much more, it's probably worth a few million and it is technically old enough to be protected based on that alone. There's a garage made of rotting wood filled with rusting cars, and an old stone bridge that she's aware of that she shows them. She didn't know about the homemade swings and the treehouse that must have been put up by the owner who died a decade before. There's a plastic bag that must have been blown in by the wind when they look up at the treehouse. There's dust and dirt, a few bugs but nothing from the old owner or his corpse. Maybe it's not so creepy after all, Mikayla thinks.

"What do you think?" Their relator asks, and Elena looks at her husband. They'd have to live in town while they did renovations, but it's a nice house. There's a lot of potential and it'd be worth the money. She feels like someone's watching her, but she shakes it off. There are only three people in the house, she tells herself.

"Let's go back to your office and sign those papers." Elijah says and Elena smiles at him.

* * *

They hire two crews from out of town, their realtor tells them no one in town will come near the property, it's eerie and it's surrounded by thick woods on three sides. Not to mention the deterrent of the deaths of the owners before them. One crew is going to clean and the other one will do renovations, and restore the house to its former glory. Elena's so excited. They make a more thorough list than her mental one, and write what each room needs before the crews start working. It's not creepy, it's a beautiful house full of history. Despite the fact she gets goosebumps when the floor creak it's fine. It's just an adjustment they'll get used to.

"We'll need to have the yard taken care of when it gets warmer out." Elena says as she carefully boxes up a dress that must be a century old.

"Hopefully we can get the exterior repairs done before the first snow here." Elijah remarks and she smiles at him as she carefully takes the things left behind and packages them up as he makes the list. He leans against the wall, and it moves and he moves with it.

"Elijah?" She asks and he looks around the space he's in. There's not a very large quantity of light, only the light from the dusty windows on the adjacent wall. He pulls out his flashlight and the bright beam illuminates a dusty room with a narrow, decaying bed. He can't admit that he isn't unnerved, but he and Elena are the only two people in the house. The secret room moves on a hinge, he can probably replace them and make this space into a closet. Then he sees a candy bar wrapper that can't be more than a year old. There's hair, and a pair of pants that look a century old. Goosebumps race up his arms.

"Elena we're leaving." He says quickly and quietly and she looks at him with a confused expression she usually finds adorable, but she looks at his face and moves quickly. They run down the dusty stairs and out of the front door. Elena runs and he throws her his keys. Elijah can't remember if he locked it or not, slamming the front door shut is terrifying in itself. Elena she starts the car and he's in the passenger seat without a seatbelt as she drives.

"What the hell was that?" She asks, her heart pounding as she goes over the speed limit. Then she sees it as she glances at him. There's a figure near their house.

"Should we get the police?" His wife asks and he admits that he doesn't know.

"Whoever or whatever was living in there knows the house better than we do. I think burning the house down would be one of the only things that would draw them out." Elena shudders as he says it.

"Did you notice the floors creaking? I don't think we made that noise. I think whoever it was knew we were there when we looked at the house." Elijah says and she keeps driving a little too fast for the speed limit. At least jail would probably be safer than that house.

"Oh god." Elena says, and stops at the stop sign.

"Do you think whoever it was killed the last owner?" She wonders and he shrugs.

"It's possible. I just don't understand who or what can live in a house like that for so long." Elijah admits and she takes the turn into town.

"Depending on who or what it is, it or they could have killed the other owners too." Elena muses aloud and realizes that they both must look as unnerved as they feel.

"We're telling the realtor and she can deal with it. She can sell it again or burn it. We are moving to Washington, far away from here." Elijah says and she nods as she makes the correct turns and stops to the real estate office.

* * *

"There's someone living there?" The realtor asks and Elijah nods. They might buy a few things from the gas station and make sure they're good on gas before they go, but they will drive through the night to get out of the state before they sleep again.

"I'm so sorry I sold you the house, I had no idea." Their realtor says.

"The check hasn't gone through yet, do you want me to rip it up?" The blonde asks.

"Either that or set the house on fire." Elena says, and the realtor looks at them for a long moment.

"I'll rip up the check." Their realtor says and Elijah nods.

* * *

Neither of them look back on their drive to Washington.


	10. Countdown

10\. A story featuring a countdown.

AN: Okay, so this story is for the week of March 20-26 even though it's currently April 3rd. Dedicated to Caitlin.

* * *

Elena is nervous. It's exactly one hour until she sees him, and she's nervous. That could just be coffee but it could also be the butterflies in her stomach. She checks her phone again. She's hungry but not too hungry, her makeup is perfect, the dress is perfect. Her apartment is spotless because she cleaned thoroughly in case he might want to come in after their date. Damnit, there go those stupid butterflies again. She dials a familiar number and doesn't bother with a greeting.

"It's all too perfect. Now I'm worried something's going to go wrong. It's an entire hour until he's here, Bon." She says. She listens to her friend hundreds of miles away give reassuring advice.

"I know, I know. It's just it's all perfect and he's perfect and we've been good as allies for a long time." Elena replies. They've known each other for seven years and have been allies for most of them, even after Mystic Falls. She's a little worried about ruining that, they work seamlessly when they're allies. Bonnie speaks in a reassuring voice and adds that if Elijah does anything, anything, to tell her. The witch has a few ideas in mind and tells Elena about them.

"Bonnie, no! You're not going to turn his hair bright pink. Okay I'm interested to see how that would look too, but no." Elena says and she hears Bonnie sigh. Elena looks at the clock.

"Fifteen minutes." Elena informs her friend and Bonnie tells her she'll hang up so she can do her last minute panicking. Elena doesn't take offense to that.

"I'll call you when the date's over." Elena assures her friend and Bonnie tells her she's looking forward to it. Date. She's actually going on a date with Elijah. She thinks about the best and worst possible outcomes for a few minutes before she looks at the clock.

Nine minutes to go and she's already checked her makeup. Minute eight is making sure her shoes really do actually match her dress and that she can walk in them. Minutes seven and six are spent making sure she has everything in her purse. Elena spends minutes five and four making sure her house looks perfect, and to see if he might be early. He said he'd pick her up _at_ seven. She checks her phone again. Three minutes and those damn butterflies in her stomach are soaring around, and she closes her eyes for a minute. Two minutes.

It's only two minutes but it seems like eternity. Maybe if she was a vampire she'd be able to deal with time slowly passing, but she's human and plans to stay that way. At least for a while, but she shoves the thought out. She needs to focus on Elijah. She opens her eyes when the doorbell rings and she opens the door. A familiar face comes into view and she relaxes.

"Elijah." She greets and he gives a grin back.

"Elena." He greets and she wonders if she imagined his look at her dress.

"You are simply breathtaking." Elijah says and the butterflies react like she just drank more coffee.

"Just in this dress?" She manages to make a joke, and he chuckles.

"You are always breathtaking." He says and she knows it's sincere. This technically isn't their first date, they've pretended to be a couple for a few different things, but this is a real date. She wonders if that means first kiss. Elijah has to be a good kisser, she's pretty sure he is just by looking at him. Then she remember Elijah's only a few feet away.

He can hear her heartbeat change as she thinks about something exciting, he wonders what it is. She's wearing a different perfume than she usually does, he notes.

"Are you ready to leave?" He inquires as she looks at him. He's not sure how words are making their way out of his mouth, she's too gorgeous. If he was human he would have forgotten how to breathe for a moment.

"I am." She confirms as she looks at him.

* * *

The restaurant is beautiful, and she loves the soft light and music. Elijah is the perfect gentleman like he always is, and she tells herself to relax as they follow their waitress to their table. She takes in their surroundings and notices that his attention is focused on her. She asks how he's doing, and they order drinks.

"I'm doing well. Is Jeremy enjoying Spain?" He inquires. Elena glances at his tie. It almost matches her dress and she almost allows herself to be distracted with staring at him.

"He loves it. He's studying different art styles and here's his latest piece he sent a picture of." She pulls up the picture on her phone, aware that they probably should be talking about other things, but she hands him her phone anyway and he looks at the picture with interest. He likes knowing what Jeremy's up to and she likes hearing about his siblings too. Even if this is their first date, they already know quite a bit about each other.

"It's exceptionally detailed and intricate." Elijah notes, the painting is composed of extremely small shapes to make up the shape of the subject, an aging tree. Something that would usually look like anyone could have painted it looks distinctive.

"I know! I wish I could have gotten artistic abilities too." She sighs and he grins at her.

"You forget that you have quite a way with words, lovely Elena." He says and her heartbeat quickens.

"Only when I write them." She retorts and he's about to beg to differ but they have to order. The waitress stares at him a little longer than necessary but she recognizes his focus is Elena. The waitress takes their order and their conversation resumes when she walks away. This, this is the reason why she nervously asked him out. There's always been something there, but he seems to notice it too now. She wonders if he's always noticed it like she has.

Conversation is easy and they never run out of things to talk about, they switch from politics to history to writing with ease. She's pretty sure they could talk about grass and she'd still be interested in the conversation.

There's no pretenses, they know who they are and what they like about each other. It feels odd to have a first date after knowing each other so long, but he reminds her that people have gone longer without a first date. He's too handsome, it's almost distracting. She almost stumbles over her words more than one time. Their food comes and their conversation isn't hindered, is just takes them longer to eat.

She feels nervous still, although it's not nervous because of what Elijah might do, but about the date. They've been friends for years. He's one of her closest confidants, she doesn't want to ruin this relationship, even if she wants to kiss him. If he doesn't feel the same, she'll say it was a joke or come up with an excuse. She can't lose Elijah and she promises herself she'll say whatever she needs to keep their relationship in any way he wants it. They work through their food as he tells her about one of his latest projects.

He wonders when she's available next, if she wants a second date or not. The check comes, and then they're out in the cold night air. Elena shivers, and he offers his suit jacket. It's not a long walk to his car, but he doesn't want her to be uncomfortable or cold. She accepts it with a hesitant smile, when their fingers touch the butterflies multiply again. She carefully puts it on, and regrets not wearing a longer dress. Her legs are starting to freeze, but at least they look good. She thanks him as they walk to his car, they could have gone to a restaurant with a valet, but he likes walking with her. He wants their time together prolonged as much as possible. He enjoys being able to monopolize on Elena's time as much as possible.

She can see her breath when she exhales.

"It was warm when I picked this dress." She says and he laughs.

"The weather is always some level of unpredictable." He says and she thinks back to other times things similar to this have happened. It's not the first time he's turned up the heat in one of his sleek black cars for her, it's not the first time he's opened a door for her. It's not the first time they've dressed up and eaten together or the first time she's worn one of his suit jackets.

It's not a night of many firsts, she already knows his jacket will be warm and smell like his cologne like how she knows he's going to walk her to her door. She searches through her purse for her keys as he drives out of the parking lot. She finds her keys and smooths her skirt down.

"I hope it doesn't snow. I thought we were finally in spring." Elena says and he agrees with her. He updates her on his siblings on the drive back to her apartment, and she's happy to hear they're doing well. She made her peace with them and she's friends with them too, but she's not as close with them as she is with Elijah. They walk up the stairs, and it's a familiar routine. She decides to try something almost new as she unlocks her door.

"Would you like to come in for a nightcap?" Elena asks, thankful her apartment is spotless. Elijah doesn't hesitate in his response.

"I would." He replies and she holds the door as he walks into her apartment. She begins to list what she has, wine, bourbon, some tequila from Caroline and he picks the wine.

She gets the glasses and he knows where it is.

"Do you mind opening it? I think the last time Rebekah asked me to do it I almost broke my nose." She tells him and he lets out a laugh.

"She told me about that." He says as he sets the cork on her counter.

"I think I'm just a danger magnet." Elena sighs dramatically and a smirk pulls at his lips.

"Perhaps." He says as she begins to pour wine into each glass. She realizes that she's still wearing his suit jacket as she hands him one of the glasses. She takes it off and hands it to him. Her apartment is warm, and she watches him walk to her coffee table to set down his glass before he puts it back on again. It smells likes Elena's perfume, he notes.

He takes his glass and sits on the couch. Elena takes her glass and moves to sit near him. The butterflies haven't disappeared.

"This was nice." She says and he nods in agreement. He drinks the wine, a nice red that was a gift from Kol for breaking one of her vases a few weeks ago.

He's staring, she thinks as she takes a sip of her wine.

She realizes that she's staring too, and she almost misses the words that come out of his mouth.

"May I kiss you?" He's been thinking about it for too long, and he's about to come up with a backup plan, when she sets her glass down and nods. He sets his down before she can see it. He moves closer, but she's first to close the distance between them.

One of her hands finds its way into his hair and he pulls her closer. She tastes like wine and his mind forgets how to do anything other than kiss her. He's not the only one wondering why they didn't do this sooner. Eventually they both pull away, and Elena stares at him with wide eyes.

"That's new." She says and he lets out a laugh.

There will definitely be a second date.


	11. Full Moon (Sorry this took so long)

AN: Sorry I have been trying to get back into the groove of writing but I haven't posted very much. I promise more regular updates after April 15th. I like to think of this chapter as a part of the "Elijah trains Elena to be a vampire" fic I'll never actually write. Not romantic Elejah, the relationship is explained in the story.

* * *

The car is miles away, Elena knows as she takes a step. Elijah walks next to her, and they've been doing this for at least an hour. He thinks she's ready to leave and explore the world as a vampire. She doesn't need him but she keeps delaying leaving. He has a flight to catch at noon, and it's less than twelve hours away but he doesn't mind. She asks another question.

"Are you sure we don't have to worry about werewolves out here? It's a full moon." She asks and he shakes his head."The werewolf pack in this area moved to a different state a few decades ago." She thinks that she's spent enough time with him that she understands what he doesn't say. She's safe with him after all, even if there were werewolves. She wonders if he would ever say something like that or if it's just her imagination.

Leaves and sticks crunch and snap under her boots by choice but Elijah makes very little noise. It's so odd to think about, just a few months ago she wouldn't have been able to see very much in this darkness. Now she can see everything, from the subtle footprints she leaves to the little details on Elijah. The top button of his shirt exposes his neck and it's odd for her to see still, even after months of being in his presence.

"I wasn't worried about the possibility, I was just curious." She knows he reads what she puts in between the lines. He keeps her slow pace, and she resists the urge to smile. They walk past trees and slowly growing plants and fallen trees embraced by the ground. He knows the area, she does not. They could move quickly, she could attempt to race him somewhere and feel the rush of being more and less than human. She could ask for another round of more than playfighting to see if he'd give it his full attention or not. She doesn't, and they keep their steady pace.

"Do you have any idea where you will go?" He inquires as she walks on a fallen tree. The age of the tree makes her a few inches taller than he is.

"I don't know if I want to go home yet. Maybe I'll just pick a random flight." Elena says, and he understands. She has options, and she's not limited to one things are in the trunk, he remembers tucking her passport in her duffelbag so she wouldn't forget it. He offers his hand when the end of the tree is a few steps away, and she avoids the puddle following the fallen tree.

"Thank you." She says precisely and he tells her it was nothing.

A few months ago she would have never thought she'd ever have a completely comfortable and truly silent comfortable silence with the Original next to her. If he wanted silence, she could give it. But she doesn't want silence at the moment, so she asks him about where he'll go and what he'll do. This was temporary and they have lives to start living again.

"I might see Niklaus in New Orleans." He says and politely ignores the shudder that she can't help. She still remembers dying the first time, after all.

"Is Spain nice?" Elena asks as she attempts to see if she can only walk on rocks for the next stretch of ground in front of them. She knows it's childish but she knows Elijah doesn't mind."Spain is very nice. You should see the world some time. You've been very confined to this place and Mystic Falls. I think you'd like what the world has to offer." Elijah says casually, and she smiles.

"Do you know any worldwide tour guides?" She jokes and a smirk pulls at his lips. He knows what she means, what she's implying with a handful of words.

"Quite a few." He replies and a few seconds of laughter escape her throat and startle an owl.

"What's that up ahead?" Elena points and Elijah tells her it's a wooden bridge. It's a few decades old, and she tells him she wants to stop there for a while. He agrees to that, his voice is old and soft. She feels closer to Elijah than anyone else in a long time, for him to help her she had to be vulnerable. He had to understand her to help her and it worked. He was open and honest too, but she laid everything out on the table months ago. She's been an open book since then. She knows he can read her whenever he wants and she doesn't mind it.

She can excuse it, it's Elijah and that just makes sense. He's always seemed to see through her and know what she meant or wanted long before she died and came back. She wonders how he can do that, he had the ability before she died but he looks peaceful as he walks next to her. He deserves that and she's not going to interrupt it.

He stands on the bridge first, and she waits for a moment.

"It's stable." He says simply and she sits down next to him. He's not too close or too far away. She closes her eyes. This is safe, Elijah is safety. It's so odd to be completely vulnerable and safe with someone like this, she thinks. With her friends, her brother, the Salvatores, there was always another layer, there were always words she bit back. With Elijah, there's nothing left. If he asks something, she's honest. But it works both ways, Elijah doesn't lie to her either.

She moves forward and her shoes can just barely skim the surface of the water. Elena knows she should consider parting with her converse, but it's a new pair and she'll need the familiarity of them when she and Elijah go separate ways. She'll need something familiar. Elena wonders if he's ever felt how she has,

because this doesn't feel like abandonment or coming of age, it just feels like she's being told to go explore without a map. That's not his fault, it's hers and she knows it.

She doesn't say anything for a while, there are no dangerous declarations or whispered confessions. It's just her sitting next to him as the moon shines overhead. They listen to the sounds of the woods and the water and Elena wishes she could just stay here in this moment for a longer time. It has to pass though. Nothing can stay frozen in time forever, except for vampires. Even if that is true for vampires, Elena considers, it's only skin deep.

"I'm going to miss you." Elena says finally and Elijah moves his head to look at her.

"Even if I am on the other side of the world, I will assist you if you need me to. As your sire it's my responsibility to teach you these things and come to your aid." Elijah reminds her and she nods.

"And I need to go out and see things for myself. I can't stay with you." She says and he nods.

"Did you do this with all of the other vampires you sired?" She wonders aloud.

"Elena, I count how many people I have sired in the last century. I train all I sire to the best of my ability and with what time I have. You are one of the most promising vampires I've ever sired." He says simply and she raises an eyebrow.

"Would you have done this if your blood hadn't been in my system?" She inquires because the possibilities are endless and she wants to know the answer to as many of them as possible. To her surprise, he lets out a laugh.

"Did you think I would leave you in Mystic Falls with the Salvatores who would have fought over you instead of teaching you what little they did know?" He asks and she can't help but let out a laugh too. She knows now that her view on the Salvatores was biased. It took getting out of town and clearing her head to realize what they were like. When she thinks about it, she knows the answer to his question.

"No." She answers and he nods.

"Correct. Even if you had been human I think I still would have attempted to remove you from their presence." He admits, it wasn't easy to see someone like Elena be used as something to win in the Salvatore brothers' game of tug of war. It's quiet for a few minutes after that.

She knows she should go home, she should answer the unanswered texts on her phone with something other than an assurance that she'd be home when she was ready and that she was safe. She has too many things to do, but she just wants to stay in this moment. So she sits next to him for a while, he'll tell her when they need to go. She can already tell what they'll do, he'll drive her to the same airport he's going to and she'll pick a flight. Once she lands, she'll let him know. She just needs a little more time before they have to move.


	12. Contest or Competition

AN: I don't know where the hell this went. The prompt for this chapter is a story about a contest or competition. Dedicated to Caitlin.

* * *

He's dangerous, she knows as Elijah carefully spins her. There is power in those finger touching hers, in those eyes that are watching her her and the voice he uses to move her. He's absolutely lethal and she's known it from the first day they met. She hasn't forgotten it either. Just because there are other humans around doesn't mean she's safe,even though there are other vampires on her side nearby it means nothing. If any of the Originals wanted to tear her apart and destroy her, to kill her, there wouldn't be anyone strong enough or fast enough to prevent it.

She knows all of the Originals are dangerous, but Elijah's the one who's proven it over and over and over to her. She'd be a fool to underestimate him. Despite this, they are allies. Part of her almost wants to relax around Elijah, she trusts him, but the rest of her stays tense. Ally or not he could kill her with a twitch of his fingers.

There's something underneath those layers of armor that he wears, something underneath the facade. She's seen it a few times, there's something almost soft or human underneath the layers of armor and defenses, she's seen it before. It makes her want to trust him, but that doesn't mean anything she's told herself. He's dangerous and that's the only thing she should think about him. The possibility of Elijah being vulnerable is still a joke, it could just be an act. Even if he is vulnerable at some point, that doesn't make him any less terrifying, any less capable of destruction and death.

He leads well, but she's not surprised. Elijah's had lifetimes to learn how to dance well. She glances around the room, they both know her heart is beating rapidly but neither of them mention it. She sees Klaus with Caroline and hopes her friend is safe. She used to wonder if Klaus was like Elijah with the layers of armor with something potentially vulnerable underneath. Elena had lost time on thinking about how many layers of armor Klaus had and if there was an angle she could drive a stake past and kill him-she gave up on that.

She's done the research, quiet questions and details confirmed that the Salvatores and Caroline are of Klaus's bloodline. Elijah's confirmed it with his own books and sources when she mentioned it to him when he rescued her from Rebekah. Even if she wanted to, she's not sure she could let anyone kill Klaus. Elijah confirmed her theory, if one of the Originals dies, their entire line dies. His research yielded similar answers. She's already been responsible for the deaths of her loved ones. She can't allow anyone to kill him and kill dozens or maybe even thousands of vampires. The number might be higher than that.

She really just wants Klaus locked away, preferably in a coffin, but that will never happen. Elijah and his siblings have just been reunited, it wouldn't make sense for them to lock Klaus away. Family is family, but Elena doesn't understand Elijah's quite yet. As they move gracefully, she knows Klaus's smug face will stay the same color, stay smug. She's not sure if Elijah's doing it intentionally but he adjusts his hand and she knows that he could break her ribs with just a little pressure. He could easily hurt everyone in the room. She shouldn't want to trust him, she tells herself. She probably should stare at Elijah less often, there are too many things she shouldn't be doing. Her heartbeat is still beating too quickly but it's the usual pace for being around him. He looks directly at her and she swallows.

The song ends and an unfamiliar hand is in front of her. Elijah's not touching her and she can't tell if she feels panicked or relieved.

"May I have this dance?" Finn Mikaelson asks her and he's standing next to his brother. Elijah nods subtly, at least they have a few things he remembered from their first round of being allies. This is safe, she thinks. They planned for something like this to happen, and after she talk to Esther she's supposed to tell him what she said. Unless he's planning to get rid of her. Elena trusts Elijah, but her mind comes up with dozens of scenarios as she answers.

"Of course."

She watches Elijah find another dance partner and she feels ridiculous for the little flash of envy of his new partner. It's absurd, she knows as Finn Mikaelson's hands find their places and she adjusts her hands out of memory. She lets him lead, and lets her mind wander. Finn Mikaelson is dangerous, but he's not Klaus or Elijah. She had thought for some reason that underneath the armor, there was something vulnerable to Elijah and she's not sure if she's right or not. It's not like she can ask and she has to let that train of thought go, Finn begins to say something.

"My mother wishes to speak with you." He says almost casually. It's not a request, she's spent enough time with vampires and the Originals to know it's an order or demand. She's curious what the oldest Original would call it.

"When should I go see her?" Elena asks him. Even if it was a question, she knows she doesn't have an option to avoid meeting the Original Witch. It's always inevitable when immortal fingers are pressing into her skin, and it never was an option when an Original is leading her around the ballroom.

"After this song." Finn says and she wonders how many people can hear the change in her heartbeat. Elijah's eyes flicker to hers and she wonders if he can read hers in that brief second before he looks away. Elena contemplates if the Mikaelsons are having a competition to see who can confuse her the most. Rebekah is dancing with Damon, not Stefan and certainly not Matt who she asked to be her date. Klaus is nowhere to be seen and neither is Caroline. Finn is guiding her out of the room as the song ends, and she notices she hasn't seen Damon or Kol for a few minutes. It's not like she can do anything, so she lets Finn lead her through the crowd of people and an elegant hallway into an equally elegant room.

The room is dark and looks like a study with a few magical objects and candles scattered around the room. It smells like smoke. Finn lets her go, and she feels completely vulnerable under the Original Witch's gaze. The witch dismisses her son and the door closes behind him.

* * *

Elena is gone. He hopes he hasn't made the same mistake twice-the last time he ever saw Tatia alive was with his mother. Elena is not Katherine or Tatia, and neither of her predecessors are Elena either. They are all unique, and he's only been interested in Elena, but he still resists the urge to move. He doesn't let go of his dancing partner to go find one of his favorite humans, he has to let her do this. He needs to know what his mother will say, her forgiveness of Klaus and dismissal of all of their sins, it's not just uncharacteristic it's suspicious. He continues dancing.

* * *

He finds her in a hallway, her heartbeat fast and nervous, she almost jumps when she sees him. Whatever walls or ability she had to hide her feelings are gone. Elijah's always been good at taking things apart.

"I think I need some air." Elena manages to say and he carefully walks with her, out of the house, out of the sight of hearing of the others. She wonders how long they have, if she could just keep him out here long enough for him to avoid the champagne. He could kill her out here if he thinks she's lying but she corrects herself. Klaus would do that. Elijah would probably do something much more effective and unpleasant.

"Elena." She hears him say and she just stares blankly for a moment. It's not a demand, to her surprise. He almost sounds concerned.

"Oh god." She says, she doesn't know how to tell him, and his mother could try to kill her again for this. She could die again for this. It wouldn't even be the first time someone from his family killed her either.

"Elena. What is it? What did she say?" Elijah presses, and when she doesn't speak for a moment she's trapped between him and the tree. Even if there are a few inches of space she's not escaping without giving him an answer.

"You mother wants to kill you and I gave her my blood." She manages to say and realizes how it sounds as it escapes. Regardless of his feelings for her, he needs more information, more understanding, and she needs to give those answers.

"You helped her?" His voice is low and dangerous and she wonders if the odd sensation in her body is adrenaline or not. She wants to run but she's not fast enough.

"She was going to take my blood either way and put it in a spell for the champagne. The things that turned you into Originals can destroy you and she wants to kill you and your siblings." Elena says and his eyes are unreadable in this level of dark, she knows he can read hers. The realization that Esther wants to kill all vampires isn't the only life changing thing she's realized and not come to terms with in the last ten minutes.

"How do I know you're telling the truth?" Elijah asks and she's pretty sure her heartbeat jumps when she lies, it feels like it to her but she's been nothing but honest tonight.

"I'm in love with you." She realizes aloud and he stares at her for a moment. Her heartbeat stayed the same, it's not a lie.

"How do I stop the spell?" Elijah can't focus on anything else at the moment, but later, later he will spend time thinking on Elena.

"I did. All of you have to drink the champagne. It won't work otherwise. Don't drink it. That's all I know other than your mother will probably kill me like she killed Tatia if she finds out I told you." Elena admits and he shakes his head.

"You are safe. I will find Caroline for you and you two will go home before the champagne is passed around." Elena wants to shudder at that but they walk back at a slightly faster pace. She tells him the rest of it, every word, it's all important. She wonders if she's ruined whatever they have, but he asks a valet to wait with her for her friend, she isn't feeling well. The man nods and she waits in her car for Caroline. The story will be that Elena needed Caroline to drive her home, Elijah's promised to spread it. It's true actually, Elena's exhausted. She watches Caroline walk to the car and sees the outlines of Klaus and Elijah. Caroline turns on the radio and adjusts the driver's seat before she starts to drive away. The blonde waits until she knows she's out of the hearing range of the Originals.

"What's this about? Elijah told Klaus that I had to take you home and he agreed to it." Caroline says and Elena nods.

"Their mother wants to kill them. She told me and I told Elijah." Elena says and Caroline nods.

"Can I stay at your house? My mom's probably not going to be back in town tonight and I don't want to be alone. Bonnie's with her mom and I don't want to ask Matt and-" Elena interrupts.

"Of course. But this isn't over. Even if we kill Esther, we have to make sure the connection to the Bennett line is broken. She takes power from Bonnie and all of her relatives, living and dead." Elena tells Caroline and she just looks at her best friend.

"Why do I get the feeling we aren't going to sleep tonight?" The vampire asks and drives to her own house, she needs a few things first.

"Because I don't think we will." Elena's phone lights up with a text from Elijah.

* * *

The issue of the Bennetts still needs to be resolved while his mother is alive. Caroline's bag is still in her car, and they change at Caroline's. She borrows clothes from Bonnie and Caroline all the time, but they wipe off their makeup and Elena puts her hair up.

Elena tells Elijah that she and Caroline will see if they can talk to the Bennetts first, Bonnie and her mother still don't like vampires for their own justified reasons. It makes sense and he agrees to it. Bonnie lets them in and they tell her about all of it.

It's late and really they should all be getting ready to sleep but they live in Mystic Falls and there's always something trying to kill them. Bonnie asks her mother to do a spell with her. Elena texts Elijah with the update, and wonders if he'll talk to her later about her confession. She thinks despite the danger, Caroline likes Klaus. It's not the time or place to mention it, and she texts Alaric to stay in the house with Jeremy and that she and Caroline might be late getting home.

"I transferred my power to my mother." Bonnie addresses them when they're done with the spell. Elena tells Elijah and the witch wants to ask, but she doesn't.

"Bonnie, your nose is bleeding." Caroline says, and blood begins to drip right on cue. It's still a little weird that Caroline knows she's bleeding before she does, but Caroline is a vampire.

"Here." Caroline digs through her purse for something and hands it to Bonnie. It's a small glass vial filled with red.

"It's not enough blood to do anything other than heal you." Caroline says. Bonnie's catching the blood in her hand, Grams would be rolling in her grave for this, but she knocks the blood back. She doesn't understand how Elena's been able to do that so many times, it tastes disgusting. She hands the vial back to Caroline and washes the blood off. She can't die from using too much magic, she just got her mother back.

"We should be okay. The Originals are going to kill Esther." Elena reads the text that's from a few minutes ago and Bonnie asks if anyone wants tea. They all need something to do, and Caroline and Elena feel uncomfortable with Abby for their own reasons.

"Thank you." Bonnie's mother says and Elena and Caroline are about to thank her and reply when the doorbell rings.

"Who the hell could that be?" Caroline wonders, and Elena offers to get the door.

It's Esther and her blood freezes, and Bonnie sees the spell about to hit Elena.

"No!" She shouts, and shoves Elena out of the way. It hits her instead and Abby drops the tea, the cups shattering in the kitchen as she moves.

"No!" She screams, and it happens without thinking. A movement of her wrist, and Esther disintegrates into nothing.

Familiar faces peer into the house, unable to enter. Caroline begins to sob along with Abby. Elena is knocked out, and it's not her fault.

"Take Elena home." She says to Elijah, it's always a gamble to deal with the Originals, but Elijah's kept her safe before. Klaus's eyes meet hers and she shakes her head. Not tonight, she can't deal with anything tonight she'll have to help Bonnie. She can't focus on her own romantic life when Bonnie is dead. She lifts Elena up from the carpet, as Abby leans over her fallen daughter.

She carefully transfers Elena from her arms to Elijah's, his siblings move as Caroline passes her over the threshold line. She wonders if the Originals can smell her blood mixed with Bonnie's in the witch's bloodstream, if they know what happened. She can barely understand it.

"I need to stay here. Elena needs her head checked out, and can you have her call me when she wakes up?" The Originals are downright terrifying, but they owe the Bennetts, they owe Elena and Caroline.

It's still uneven ground but she doesn't really care. Klaus disappears after Elijah does, and Rebekah tells Caroline that she'll let Matt know. Kol is the last one outside the door, and tells Caroline if she needs anything especially involving Bonnie, he's there to help. He knows what it's like. Before she can ask him to elaborate, he's gone and Abby is still holding her daughter. Caroline swallows the lump in her throat and tells Abby what she did.

* * *

She wakes up in her own bed without her flats. The light is low, but she can see Elijah sitting on her windowseat as she sits up. Her head hurts, it feels like someone hit it against the wall a few times. He doesn't miss the wince, doesn't miss the unsteadiness to Elena.

"Do you want my blood?" He asks. It's not something he does very often, but Elena is different. Elena's always been different.

"If you don't mind." She says and he shakes his head. She closes her eyes for a moment, and when she opens them, Elijah's offering his wrist. Bloodsharing is gross and she just wants to sleep, but Bonnie just tackled her and she can't remember what happened. She'll ask Elijah when she's able to think clearly, she swallows and pushes his wrist away. She feels better, but she has to ask, as he cleans the blood off his wrist with a handkerchief. He's back into one of his suits she notices.

"What happened?" She asks and her phone rings. He hands it to her.

"I'm afraid Caroline knows better than I do." He says and she answers the call as he moves to sit on her window seat again.

Oh god. Bonnie died to protect her. Another death on the list of people who have died for her. If she didn't have an empty stomach and Elijah there, she might feel like she was going to throw up. But as Caroline keeps talking, she tells her that Bonnie has vampire blood in her system and she's trying to figure out if she wants to be a vampire or not. It's good that Elena isn't there, Bonnie's going to need blood if she transitions. Caroline promises to keep her updated and Elena thanks her. Caroline hangs up first.

"Oh god." She says, just a few hours ago everything was fine.

"I'm so sorry you had to kill your mother." Elena says and he tells her that the mother he loved died when they were turned into vampires. He doesn't need to mourn.

She gets out of her bed, and moves to her window seat. He's unsure of what she's doing until she moves her arms and wraps them around him.

"I'm sorry about Bonnie. I'm sorry about all of this." He says, and she wants to ask if he knows that she loves him, this is still a little painful. If he only wants to be friends, she'll do that. He just has the ability to destroy her physically and emotionally. He lets go of her first and she takes a few steps away.

"I have something to confess." He says and apologizes for his actions that night in the same breath.

"What is it?" She asks.

"I am in love with you as well." He says and her eyes widen.

"This isn't the right time." She says and he nods. There will be time for them later, she needs to make sure Bonnie's okay.

* * *

The next few days are bizarre because of the Mikaelsons. Between Rebekah liking Matt and kicking Damon's ass off a balcony with Kol who might like Bonnie, to Klaus who drew Caroline a picture and Finn being daggered to Elijah confessing his feelings it's like a competition of which sibling can do the most insane things, honestly.

Bonnie transitions with the help of Kol and Caroline, and her mother promises to stay with her and raise her and Elena eventually asks Elijah on a date. Caroline's sure life's going to feel like an insanity contest for quite a while, as she looks at Klaus. Elena agrees to that.


	13. In A Car

AN: The prompt for this chapter is: A story that takes place entirely inside a vehicle

I lost where I was going with this one until I heard this quote, "When it was just the two of us at home – and I want you to think about this, Alice, I want you to remember. When it was just the two of us, it wasn't like being alone, but it also wasn't like being with another person. It was something in between. It was all the benefits of being alone, with none of the downsides." The quote is from the podcast Alice Isn't Dead by Joseph Fink, I highly recommend it. Sorry this is shorter than the others. This is for the week of April 11-17. I know I need to get caught up, I'm working on it! Dedicated to Caitlin.

* * *

"You're on speakerphone." Elena says, and he grins at that although she can't see it. A little less than a six hundred miles and a nine hour drive if there's no traffic. She needs to keep her mind occupied as she drives down the highway and she hasn't talked to Elijah in a few days.

"Excellent." He says and she laughs. He can hear notes of a song he likes along with her voice as she asks him how he's doing. It's been too long since she's seen him, and although they've looked the same for a few decades she still wants to actually see him. New Orleans is calm this year and he wants to show her the city. No more escapes to cities far away and unseen places.

She asks how he's doing, he's her best friend on the continent. Bonnie and Caroline are in Europe for another month and he's on the same level as them anyway.

"I am well. At the moment, Niklaus is attempting to buy a property in England but Kol keeps attempting to outbid him. It's quite amusing to watch." Life is pretty quiet for the time being, and he asks how she is.  
"Damnit." She swears.

"What is it?" He inquires, she doesn't seem very upset.

"Someone just cut me off." She answers. The joys of driving, she thinks. He relaxes, even though they both know if she got into a car crash she'd be able to walk away, the worry is always there.

* * *

"Stop, you're making me hungry. If you keep talking like that I'll be there an hour late and then I'll ruin your schedule." Elena says, and he laughs. He can't wait to see her, she's always good to be around. The drama from when they met is behind them, and they love just spending time together.

"And then we'll all suffer." Elijah jokes and she laughs harder. Another mile in a minute, cars come and go like the people driving them.

"That girl's wearing a graduation gown and cap." Elena notes aloud and remembers when she graduated. It was so much worry up to that point, but she made it, she made it and all she felt for a few weeks relief. Then adult life came knocking and so did the supernatural, but Caroline probably still has their caps and gowns.

"I wonder where she's going." Elijah says aloud and Elena admits that she doesn't know, maybe to family or friends. The girl's car is packed, and Elena finds the right answer.

"Hopefully somewhere better. It's a new chapter in her life."

It's Elijah's idea for her to describe other drivers she sees, and they make a game out of guessing where the driver started and where they're driving to and why. It's a harmless guessing game, and then they play another game.

"Would you rather explore space or the ocean?" Elijah asks and Elena has to think about it.

"Space. I'll take space over the ocean. Vampires don't need to breathe but we know more about space than our oceans so-" She trails off and he laughs.

There's another hour gone, six more to go.

"Have you ever wrestled a tiger?" Elena asks. Elijah exhales and he's quiet for a moment.

"Did you forget if you did or not, old man?" Elena teases and Elijah laughs.

"I've tangled with a few animals, tigers have not been on that list." Elijah admits and Elena lets out a laugh. She's close enough with Elijah that they can tell each other anything, and she tells him he wears too many plain colors, she's going to buy him patterned clothes and he laughs.

"I won't wear them." He says and she tells him she knows. Elijah is a man of habit, she wonders what he'd wear if suits went out of style.

"I can be very persuasive." Elena says, dragging the words out slowly.

"I know your game lovely Elena. Hiding or destroying my suits will not convince me to wear whatever you have in mind." Elijah says and Elena laughs.

Another hour passes in near silence, Elena turns up her music and listens to Elijah make noise on the other end.

Sometimes she doesn't miss everything all at once with Elijah, sometimes she just misses the noise he makes, just the little noises that let her know he's there, she misses that when she's alone occasionally. Sometimes it's not the noise but the feeling of being in the same city. He's her best friend on the continent and when they spend time together, it's balanced.

There's no expectation to keep the other entertained, they have their own time to themselves and it's not stressful. Being with Elijah doesn't feel like spending time with someone else exactly, but it almost feels like being alone but without the disadvantages of being alone. Sometimes they just stay in their own places in the same building and do what they need to. Elijah understands her and she understands him.

She wonders if anyone else quite understands it, there have been days where they've barely spoken, not because they were angry at each other, they just didn't need to verbalize what they were doing or wanted. It's nice, and Elijah eventually breaks the comfortable silence to tell her about global news.

* * *

Another hour passes and she begins to tell him about what she sees. She sees green and other cars, the people and the road, the grass and plants growing off the side of the road. Elena describes the towns and their people, the stores and how bored she is.

All of these towns blend together after she's gone through too many of them. All highways begin to look the same, all drives start to feel the same at one point or another.

* * *

"That was a two gas station town." She begins.

"Do you need gas?" Elijah asks.

"No. I was more surprised a town that small had two stations." Elena admits and she begins to tell him about the the town she barely remembers the name of.

The idea of stopping sounds tempting but getting to New Orleans early and eating sounds even better.

"Being a vampire definitely makes these drives a lot easier." Elena says and he agrees. Elena begins to sing along to a song he can hear from her radio and he remembers the words after a second of trying to place the familiar tune.

"Is going to that bakery on the corner part of your itinerary?" She asks as the song ends and he has to think for a moment, he does have a detailed and flexible schedule for when she's in New Orleans after all.

"It is." He confirms and she smiles, he just knows she does. It's her voice that tells him, the slight change in it informs him that she's smiling.

"Good." She says as the sky darkens with clouds.

He thinks about the times he's spent time with Elena alone. No inquisitive siblings or her friends, just them. Not the Original and doppelganger, just Elijah and Elena. They know, although they've rarely spoken about it, they didn't seek each other out for power, they were interested in the person under the titles they're known under. Elena's slipped through barriers and guards with ease, and he did the same.

"There's also a new bookstore I would like to go to with you." He mentions and she lets out an excited noise. She looks at the sign in the distance, more time had passed than she had thought.

"I'll be there in half an hour." She says, and then he's the one who grins.


	14. Villain

AN: The prompt for this chapter is: A story from a villain's perspective. For the week of April 18-24. Dedicated to Caitlin.

* * *

The girl her second oldest son is interested in was almost killed by Niklaus. NIklaus has almost killed her several times over the course of the half year the girl's been home, along with almost killing the girl's aunt. It's all so interesting, she's watched this girl with fascination. Elena Gilbert looks like the girl she sacrificed to make her children monsters. Esther feels regret over that, but it was solving two problems with one death. She's watched over her children and had to feel as their victims felt as punishment for her crime against nature for centuries.

She felt the torture and death of Katerina Petrova, and Esther is waiting for this girl who looks like the other two doppelgangers to permanently die already, but Elijah protects her over and over. Plus the girl defends herself and her family over and over.

She dies at Klaus's hands, technically his fangs, but Elijah is the one who gave her something to bring her back. Those fangs had dug deep, Esther had winced at it as she felt it, but the girl kept her gaze until her heartbeat slowed and there was nothing left for her body to do but give up. Even as Elena stopped breathing, she didn't give up. She keeps playing the game she was born into, and Elijah is her ally against those who want to use and kill her.

Yes, Elena Gilbert captured her interest, but she also captured Elijah's in a different way. The Petrova girl had dreams to become an author as she came home with a packed car and framed piece of paper. The girl juggled relationships, plotlines and the supernatural with skill that impressed the witch as she watched. Esther's interested to see if the girl can do what she's been doing for months in a ballgown and heels.

Elijah can't always keep the girl safe and Elena Gilbert's only human anyway. This night she planned under the guise of being a family will be an interesting one Esther knows.

She watches her children with interest and sees change that surprises her and hints of the children she raised before she made them into monsters. It still doesn't matter, it doesn't change anything, she alone knows the amount of death her children have caused, felt the pain of each victim. Her children made others into monsters as well, and they have terrorized the Earth for too long. Far too long, and tonight she will begin to destroy vampires.

Elena Gilbert is a variable she's accounted for. Either Elena will help her eradicate vampires from the Earth or, she'll use the doppelganger as bait to kill Elijah. She has to kill each of her children individually as punishment, and she knows Elijah helps keep her children together. Esther wonders briefly if they'll unravel or fragment with Elijah's death.

"Mother? I need your opinion on which earrings I should wear with my dress." Rebekah's voice interrupts her musing and she looks upon the daughter she had doted on centuries ago. She pulls her face into a smile and nods.

"I would love to help you choose." Esther says, as she tells herself she must play the part she agreed to.

* * *

It's hard, harder than she thought it would be. Over the centuries she's watched her children, but Rebekah bends over backwards for her and Niklaus changes his behavior but it's done. She sees the quieter changes in Kol, Elijah and Finn. Even as her children change around her she knows it's not enough, and it will never be enough. She was weak, weak enough to change her children and enable them to create two new races of monsters. She wonders for a moment as she points at a twist of metal if it always comes down to too much of something or not enough.

Rebekah smiles at her and holds the metal up to her ears and Esther knows killing Rebekah will be one of the hardest things she's ever had to do. At least Elijah will be first, he's the glue that keeps their family together, and her children will be scattered at best without him.

"What are you thinking about?" Klaus has wandered into the room, and she knows the question is not directed at Rebekah.

"I was just overthinking. I hope tonight is perfect." It's not a lie, her children would hear that in her heartbeat.

"It will be." Niklaus grins and his smile reminds her of the wolves she sought to protect her children from.

* * *

The dress she's wearing was picked by Rebekah, she remembers as she exhales. She carefully watches visitors enter along with her children. She knows Niklaus has shown interest in a girl who visited Elena for a short while, Caroline. She sees the glimpses of humanity that she thought had died long ago but it doesn't excuse the massacres and crimes her children hold responsibility for.

"I thought you were going to invite that girl you are friends with. Elena." She pretends like she has to think about the doppelganger's name and Elijah shakes his head.

"We are just friends." Elijah says, but when the doors open to reveal Elena Gilbert, she notices where her son's eyes move with Elena.

"Of course." Esther says, and Elijah frowns slightly but keeps his gaze. Esther looks at the clock Elijah taught her to read on the wall and wishes the ball was over with. She only has a certain amount of time to complete her task before someone else more ruthless is to be sent in her place.

The people of Mystic Falls blend into her plan seamlessly, none of the humans have an issue dancing a centuries old waltz, they excel at it. This world she and her children should have never seen or experienced is odd. She notices Elena Gilbert fidgeting with her dress before Elijah asks her for a dance and she can't resist the small smile she allows herself as she watches over the dancers for a moment. She moves to her room, Elena Gilbert will come to her soon enough, a fly willingly walking into her web. She knows what she'll say to the girl, what lies she'll weave and what threats she'll make if those don't work on her.

A few hours and this will be over and Elijah will be dead. In the time she waits for the doppelganger to visit her, she tries to think of the best sequence to kill her children. Finn would be an easy target after Elijah, then Kol perhaps. She'll save Niklaus for last, the spell she plans to cast will trap her children with her. It will only be broken after they all perish, and she'll return to the other side once vampires and hybrids are eradicated from the planet.

A quiet knock at the door interrupts her thoughts. She knows it won't be one of her children, it must be the doppelganger. She burns the sage she spelled as her children slept, and opens the door. A familiar face smiles nervously at her and she invites the human in.

* * *

She tells the girl that they can speak freely and explains the sage burning. The girl fidgets again.

"I'm sorry, I'm just not used to wearing dresses like this. I feel like I can't quite breathe." Elena excuses and Esther forces a sympathetic smile. The doppelganger has two choices, and as she explains them, she notices that Elena Gilbert stills and then picks the correct one. Maybe there is such a thing as a smart doppelganger after all.

It's easy, easier than she ever imagined.

"You might need to persuade Elijah to stay home, I know the others will stay, but Elijah doesn't keep the same hours as my other children." Esther says and Elena smiles.

"I can do that. Do you need anything else from me?" Elena asks and Esther shakes her head.

"Go back to the ball, talk to Elijah and go home. The world will be free of vampires and hybrids before you know it." Esther says with another forced smile, pretending she cares is rather draining.

"Thank you." Elena says sincerely and Esther widens her smile. The girl fidgets in the hallway and Esther reminds her which direction she needs to go. Niklaus built a confusing house, Esther can hardly blame her for being lost. She almost thinks she hears a beeping noise, but it's probably just some of the technology Klaus and Elijah have tried to teach her about. The doppelganger is out of her sight and she closes the door. She watches the windows, the night is nice and there are quite a few couples that are walking around the gardens.

She sees Elijah talking to Elena, a phone in her hand. She puts her finger to her lips and they listen to something as they walk. Maybe Elijah will listen to Elena.

Esther moves away from the window, and closes her eyes. Just a few more hours, and then this will all be over. Thousands of killers will be eliminated from the world and she will finally know rest.

* * *

"Rebekah?" She calls, knocking on the heavy door. There's so response. Rebekah is often found with her brothers.

"Niklaus! Rebekah!" She calls. There's no response. She looks through every room in the maze of a house Niklaus constructed. She is completely alone, and there's only one explanation. The doppelganger.

Small towns have big mouths, and in no time someone has given her directions to the Gilbert house.

"It's too late." Elijah opens the door like they expected her to come. His features look cold and harsh, she's seen that face before through other eyes.

"It's not. I can still kill all of you." Esther says it like a promise and she can see Elena Gilbert in the shadows, behind Elijah.

"Including that little doppelganger traitor." Esther adds and her son's eyes harden, and Elena moves farther back into the house.

"Niklaus is on a plane, Kol is on a boat, Rebekah is on a train with Finn and I am here. You cannot kill us and I will not allow you to harm Elena. Give up, Esther." She knows she should feel something at her son calling her by her name, not her title but she feels weak. She bows forward, trying to avoid hitting the sidewalk.

She failed, and she knows Elijah doesn't care about what she's going to say. She's going to die looking at one of her children again, cold and alone.

"Something worse is coming to kill you." She rasps and her knees scrape against the ground.

"We'll handle it." Elijah says firmly, and Elena's eyes focus on her. She exhales one last time, a long sigh escapes her lips as she turns to dust. She failed. Maybe the next person won't.


	15. Concert

AN: Prompt for this chapter is: A story set at a concert or festival. Written late for the week of April 25-29. Human au this chapter because Eva loves those. Also when meeting people from the internet, make sure you have someone you know nearby, meet in a public place, be safe. Dedicated to Caitlin.

* * *

Elena pauses, the keys that have produced noise fall silent as she pauses and looks at the screen of her laptop. What she's typed works, so she clicks and it's done. She doesn't want the extra ticket to go to waste and since Caroline can't go, the internet seemed like the obvious solution. Surely someone who isn't creepy will agree to her terms and want the other ticket. She closes her laptop and doesn't think about it for a few days, the concert if six weeks away after all.

* * *

"Did you find someone to take to the concert? I'm totally sorry and I wish I wasn't being dragged away by my boss but this meeting on the west coast is supposed to be important and I'll totally make up for it I-" Caroline gets cut off.

"Care. It's fine. They'll come back another time." Elena assures her.

"Did you find someone to come with you and take the other ticket? It shouldn't be so hard to find someone else. It's a sold out show and you're a pretty girl with a cheap ticket." Caroline says and Elena frowns.

"Actually, I haven't checked on it yet." Elena admits and Caroline rolls her eyes.

"Fine, fine." Elena says and opens her laptop, types in the website and waits.

"Thirty replies." Elena reads and Caroline leans closer on the couch to stare at the computer screen.

"Since you're so interested, you can help me go through these." Elena jokes and Caroline nods.

"Sounds like fun." She says to her best friend, and Elena laughs.

* * *

Ten of them want the ticket for themselves no string attached and while Elena understands it, it's still the seat next to hers. She'd rather know who she's sitting next to. It's another hour scrolling through the other replies, and Caroline narrows it down to three replies. One's a girl who meets all of the requirements a little younger than them with purple hair in her profile picture, the next is a man who is a few years older than she is but nice enough with a drawn profile picture of a handsome man, and another person who wants to buy both tickets for way too much money and no profile picture.

Elena debates the last one, it would be nice to be able to see her favorite singer with Caroline, but Caroline shakes her head.

"You love this singer. You have to go. Don't even think about selling both tickets." Caroline says firmly.

"Okay, I'll reply to these three people then." Elena says and Caroline watches her type quick responses as the timer goes off for the cookies in Elena's oven.

"I'll get it, don't get up." Caroline says as Elena opens her mouth. Elena sighs and finishes as Caroline turns off the oven.

"And now we wait." Caroline says, and Elena wonders if she means the cookies or the concert tickets.

* * *

The girl is up for meeting in a park and the man is up for meeting in a coffee shop, there are witnesses in those places, including Caroline. The girl is who she said she was, seventeen about to turn eighteen and she smiles when she sees Elena sit next to her on the park bench.

"Oh thank goodness. There's all kinds of creeps on the internet. My mom's at that table over there just in case." The young girl with purple hair points as the wind blows.

"My friend's at that picnic table over there." Elena points and the girl nods before they start talking about the singer they both like so much. It's nice to talk to someone other than Caroline about the singer.

* * *

"I think I'll just give the girl the other ticket. She seemed really nice and the concert's the day before her birthday." Elena says and then she sees the girl's mother walking to her and Caroline.

"Don't give her the ticket, I have three tickets for her birthday but I want it to be a surprise." The girl's mother confesses and Elena smiles.

"I won't tell her or give her a ticket. I'll find someone else." Elena says and she just knows Caroline is grinning widely behind her. Unless someone else responded to her post, the man who she's going to meet in an hour is going to get that ticket.

"I'm about to fall asleep, I need coffee soon." Caroline complains and Elena laughs.

"Let's go get coffee then." Elena laughs.

* * *

Caroline orders some complicated coffee drink Elena is amazed she can recite off the top of her head and orders something she knows Elena will like. They keep an eye on the door from their separate tables, Caroline gets their drinks when their names are called.

"Thanks." Elena says as Caroline sets it down.

"You're welcome. Do you see him yet?" Caroline asks.

"Not yet." Elena shakes her head, but they did show up earlier than what she told the man. She wants to say his name is Elijah, she told him she was wearing purple and that her name was Elena. She sips at her coffee and reads the news on her phone until she sees someone approach her table. She looks up to see a gorgeous man in a leather jacket with an unsure look on his face.

"Elena?" He inquires, he has an accent she can't place and she nods.

"That's me." Elena smiles and he smiles back.

* * *

Elijah is smart, funny and gorgeous, he's perfect to take to the concert.

Caroline teases her mercilessly when they get back to their apartment.

"I thought you forgot about me." She jokes and Elena groans.

"He's just someone I'm taking to a concert. It's not a big deal." Elena says but as the words come come she knows she's only telling part of the truth. There's something to him that makes her want to see him again, to hear the accent and know him. She can't explain it properly but going by how hesitant Elijah was to say goodbye either, she knows she's not the only one. There is something there but she doesn't know what it is and she doesn't want it to disappear before the concert.

* * *

Caroline counts it out that morning while Elena drives her to the airport before going to work- regardless if Elena and Elijah admit it or not, they've made nine excuses to see each other between their first meeting and the concert.

"That's ridiculous." Elena complains as she adjusts the radio.

"Yeah. You two are." Caroline says then hums along to the song playing. Elena resists the urge to roll her eyes but she's happy when she sees the familiar structure of the airport.

"Have fun on your trip!" Elena says as Caroline opens her door.

"Have fun at the concert!" Caroline counters as she gets out and shuts the door.

* * *

It's not a big deal, it's just a concert but she does change shirts two times and jackets three times before she does her makeup for the concert. She's picking Elijah up because he lives closer to the small venue than she does, and she checks her reflection one more time before she gets into her car. No matter what happens, the concert is going to be worth it. Elijah's house is nice, modern and then he's out of the door and walking to her car. Anticipation fills her veins as she leaves Elijah's street and they manage to make small talk. She's never seen this singer in concert before and she's so excited that she can't keep a smile off her face. She parks and they go through the line of people waiting to have their tickets checked and her good mood is contagious, it's a warm summer night but it's not suffocatingly hot. It's the perfect night for a small, outdoor concert

* * *

The opening band is good and they're loud but they're not as loud as Elena and Elijah were expecting. Elena recognizes one of their songs from the radio and begins singing along and stops when she sees Elijah begin to grin.

"What?" She asks and he shakes his head.

"It's nothing. You have a lovely voice." She looks so cute when she sings and stops paying attention. He sings along, much more quietly than she does and then the hour slips by in a matter of songs. It didn't feel that long but Elijah's watch assures him they played for an hour. The singer greets the crowd and Elena's practically shaking with excitement and then the show gets started.

It's loud, if either of them say anything they don't hear it. They sing along and forget that they have a heartbeat, the only beat in their chests is the beat from the music and Elena knows her ears are going to hurt but she's young and so is he and they don't care. The lights glow and the music is good and the air smells like the concessions and perfume. It's good, and they barely notice when the sky gets dark and they don't think about anything but the music with the words escaping their throats automatically.

* * *

There were two encores before the singer left for good, and the crowd of people begins to push at every exit and Elena grabs Elijah's hand and leads them out of the section where their seats were and to an exit nearby.

When Elena finds an empty section of concrete, she moves them there and takes a breath. She looks up at Elijah, she was so focused on not getting crushed that she didn't even think about what he might think about them holding hands.

"The crowd's much worse than I thought it'd be." He observes and she nods.

"Let's go to the merch table and then get out of here." She proposes and Elijah nods. She remembers her hand is in his and lets go.

* * *

"So do you want to maybe see a movie next Saturday?" He asks and she smiles.

"I'd like that." Neither of them are aware they're speaking a little too loudly, their ears won't hurt until the morning after.

Maybe there are other concerts they can go to together, Elena thinks.


	16. Gunshot

A story that begins with a gunshot. For the week of April 30- May 6. All human au for Eva. Dedicated to Caitlin.

* * *

The sound is so loud, if Elena wasn't more concerned about the feeling in her abdomen she's complain about her ears. She doesn't realize she's falling until her back is touching the floor and she can feel something warm pooling underneath her. One of her hands touches it and she moves her hand to her eyes that widen.

Oh shit, she thinks distantly. It's blood, her blood. She's in so much pain she can barely breathe and she's so _tired._ Brown eyes begin to close and she barely hears the Kol telling her to stay awake, and the people calling for an ambulance.

* * *

It's a few tense hours as Kol waits, he made sure the paramedics took Elena to the hospital Elijah works at. If anyone could get that bullet out without too much damage it'd be Elijah and he knows it. Elena got shot at an antique show because of some idiot who thought it'd be interesting to pull the trigger on a gun that hadn't been fired in decades. He's been in the uncomfortable waiting area chair so long that his foot has fallen asleep.

"Kol." A flash of blue scrubs and familiar voice make him look up.

"Is she going to be okay?" He asks instead of greeting.

"Miss Gilbert is alive and currently resting. I will let you know when you or anyone else can visit her, until then, alert her other loved ones." Elijah says crisply, the matter of fact tone in his voice reminds Kol that Elijah is in his element.

"Thank you." Kol says sincerely and sighs. Shit, he does need to tell Jeremy and help get Elena's things in order.

"Is she your-" Elijah trails off as Kol shakes his head.

"I love her like I love Bekah and Freya. She's Jeremy's sister and she just got over a nasty breakup, he asked me to make sure she had fun while he was gone." Kol's rambling, and he needs to get back to work. He puts his hands on his brother's shoulders.

"Kol. Call her brother. Go home and I will text you when she is available to visitors. Do not think about attempting to sneak in." He means it, Elena needs her rest and she won't be able to talk to visitors anyway. Kol nods.

* * *

"It's not your fault." Anna says reassuringly. He's always been fond of Jeremy's wife, they're both good friends and he appreciates her. Anna invited him over after he told her what happened.

"But if we weren't at that antique show it wouldn't have happened." Kol reminds her and she shakes her head, he's wrong and her phone beeps.

"Jeremy will be back tomorrow, that's the fastest flight he can get out of Romania."

"Is he still planning on doing that graphic novel with that author who does all that supernatural stuff?" Kol wonders and Anna nods.

"Yeah, the author actually reached out to him. He's been researching mythology and art for a few weeks." Anna tells him as he yawns.

"Do you want to come to the airport to pick him up with me tomorrow at nine?" Anna asks and Kol nods.

"I'll call before I leave. Speaking of leaving, go home and get some sleep.'' All they can do is wait and the couch is not comfortable enough

* * *

Elena will be in the hospital for a few weeks to heal and even after she gets out she'll need to take it easy, Elijah informs him over text.

 _Oh thank god,_ Kol responds and Elijah wonders who Elena is to his little brother, he can't remember the last time Kol was so concerned over someone they weren't blood related to.

 _I'll keep an eye on her in here but you have to keep an eye on her after she leaves,_ Elijah texts him and Kol yawns before he tells him it's a deal.

* * *

The sleep deprived days blend together until he gets the text from Elijah that Elena Gilbert can have visitors. Elijah wonders if he'll see his little brother visit her for a moment but then he has more pressing matters at hand. Silver medical tools and skin fill his mind and he forget about everything but the patient. It's a test of routine and memory mixed with a race against time and he sinks into it with ease.

* * *

She smiles at them even after being shot. Kol smiles and shakes his head, only Elena, honestly.

"Hey, 'Lena, the guy who shot you told the hospital to send all of your bills to him." Jeremy interrupts and Kol relaxes and observes the siblings and Anna interacting. Elena's fine, she's completely fine and Elijah promised him that she would make a full recovery unless she injured herself while at home and kept it to herself. Kol made a mental note to tell Elena of that at some point but the relief takes over the coffee and energy drinks and his eyes close as he sits in the uncomfortable hospital chair. He dreams of vikings and magic, nonsensical dreams that blend into each other with ease, people with food for faces and of flying.

He wakes with a jolt, to see familiar eyes staring at him.

"Visiting hours are about to end, Kol. Go home and get some beneficial sleep and stop drinking so much coffee. You know you crash after you hit your limit. Caffeine in excess can kill you, you know." Elijah sounds disapproving but he almost always does so Kol doesn't really care.

"Anything can kill brother. I could die tomorrow from anything. I'd rather be awake for it." Kol says and Elijah knows his little brother can see the concern that cuts through the disapproval.

"I can't disagree." Elijah sighs and Kol rises from the uncomfortable chair.

"Are you working tomorrow?" He asks and Elijah nods.

"Then I'll see you and Elena tomorrow." Kol says and walks out of the room. He's about to leave it himself when he hears a quiet voice.

"Kol?" Elijah turns to see slowly blinking brown eyes.

"My brother just left. Visiting hours are over, Miss Gilbert." Elijah tells her and she nods.

"He looks like you. You're Elijah, right? You saved my life." Elena Gilbert is very succinct indeed while she's on whatever they put in her IV, and he nods.

"I was one of the people who saved your life. My brother was among them. You need your rest, and so do I. Goodnight, Miss Gilbert." He hears a soft murmur of thanks as he walks out of the room.

* * *

"Elijah's pretty." She tells Kol and he lets out the first laugh he thinks he's let out in a week.

"Now I know that's the drugs talking. You never talk like that." Kol reminds her and she waves her free hand.

"It's the truth. He's pretty and he's like you but not." She says and he lets out another laugh.

"Love, I think that describes most people." Kol says and she giggles.

"Ow." Elena frowns and the smile from his face.

"Right. No more laughing if it's gonna hurt you. I'll stop being funny. How do you feel?" Kol asks and she smiles.

"I feel weird." Elena says and he tells her that he's not surprised.

"I'm just glad you're okay." Kol is serious for a moment and it looks odd to her.

"Me too." Elena says, trying to mimic his serious face. Kol tries not to laugh.

* * *

It's an odd routine, while he loves his family he doesn't usually see any of them this regularly. He usually sees Kol in Elena Gilbert's hospital room, checks on both them and leaves work. It's an odd routine to settle into, but every so often he stays a little longer when Elena is alone and awake and answers her questions and asks his own. Elena has met of the Mikaelsons and is friends with most of his siblings. Maybe he can befriend her as well. He's grown rather attached to her.

* * *

He comes in the day Elena gets discharged and reminds call to call him if Elena needs anything, Kol will be taking care of her along with Elena's sister-in-law.

"I promise." Kol says quietly as he signs paperwork with Anna, and Elijah grins.

"Good."


	17. Different Country

The prompt for this chapter is: A story set in a country you've never been to. Written late for the week of May 7-13. I know I haven't updated other things but I am working on it I promise. Dedicated to Caitlin.

* * *

"We all know why we're here. Dahlia will be greatly missed but she left a will that needs to be discussed." The lawyer's thick accent is barely understandable, if Elena hadn't had to deal with Rebekah and Klaus when they were tired she'd have to ask her husband to translate or ask later.

"Does anyone have any objections or can we get started?" The blonde lawyer asks and Elena looks through the window to see the rain over the extensive Scottish land Elijah's aunt owned. She wonders who will receive it now, none of the siblings were particularly close to her, despite their parents dying almost a decade ago. There was something about Dahlia taking care of Freya as a child that ended badly in the Mikaelson family history; and the eldest Mikaelson child and Dahlia were not on speaking terms before she died. Elena wonders what the story is but it's not her business and it's Freya's story to tell not Elijah's. The lawyer's accent gets thick as she begins to speak of one of her favorite clients's wishes.

Elena honestly does try her best to pay attention but she can't understand the lawyer's thick brogue and she's been up for too long to be very attentive anyway. She sips at her tea but knows that it isn't going to help her eyes stay open. Elena discreetly looks around the living room and leans against her husband. Her eyes close and she feels on of his hands brush against hers. Jetlag is not fun and she's been trying to battle it for the last two days. It's hardly the first time she's done this, and she knows Elijah will wake her when it's over. She sets her tea on the coffee table.

This is a sad event but none of them feel particularly sad, actually the lawyer might be the most upset, Elijah thinks. Dahlia is very exact about which Mikaelson child gets what and there is a long list for each child. Elijah notes what interests him, Dahlia did think of everything she owned.

The bone china in her house in Australia goes to Rebekah, the furniture in the house in America goes to Kol, her books go to Elijah, her art goes to Klaus. Finn gets a house and stocks. Freya gets clothes that she knows she'll donate and Dahlia's jewelry is to be split between Rebekah and Freya. The general categories of all the things she's ever owned and loved are sorted into neat boxes with names next to them like that's all. The paper will and items are all that's left of Dahlia.

There are specific items that are mentioned, the antique makeup that Rebekah and Freya played with when they were so young they can't remember it. Dahlia was soft in the time before her death, and she recounts the times the Mikaelsons, no longer children, don't remember, the few short years she had contact with them. It's so interesting to hear about things they did in times they don't remember. It's still not enough to inspire tears, perhaps the Mikaelson children really are stoic like Dahlia thought they'd grow up to be or they're very unaffected. It's hard for the lawyer to tell.

The lawyer tries not to choke up, she's read the words before, practiced the way they form in her mouth and how they sound but a few tears still escape her young eyes.

The technicalities and conditions of several of the things she gives must be met but none of them mind the technicalities really but it's an interesting set of conditions. Elijah and Elena's conditions are to sort through the things of the house in Scotland. In exchange for boxing up things, they get the deed to the house when they can prove the to the lawyer that they went through the house. Klaus must donate five pieces of art at least before he can receive all of the art his aunt wanted him to have. Kol can have the furniture of the house in America except the curtains. Kol almost set her curtains on fire as a child and she still doesn't trust him with them. It's little odd things that keep them from completely doing what they want. In addition to the will Dahlia also left letters for all of them to read. The pretty black haired lawyer's sentences are beginning to slow, Elijah senses that she's about to wrap up.

"Elena." He whispers, moving his wife's hand. Elena stirs against him and blinks sleepily. It's going to be a long day, dealing with the will of his eccentric aunt. The lawyer finishes and gives them the letters and her business card before she leaves.

"Can we go out for drinks?" Kol asks in the silence following the lawyer's departure and Klaus lets out a laugh.

"That sounds like the best idea of the day." Klaus says and Elena is inclined to agree. Elijah is close to his family and she loves that even if they do drive the couple mad.

* * *

They have dinner with drinks because there is no food in the house that looks safe for consumption. Klaus leaves with his wife and Kol goes with them to the airport. Finn and Sage leave quickly after dinner, not that Elena blames them. Rebekah and Freya are leaving in the morning but are currently sorting through what was left to them upstairs and Elijah is helping his wife sort through the kitchen. What's left of half of the usable trash bags they found currently houses most of what they just went through. There's a cardboard box of usable things they want to donate too but it's barely a third full. Dahlia assumed no one would want anything from the kitchen, or maybe she thought whoever wanted the aged glass would just get it, but because there's no one they have to think of they can go through it faster than the other rooms.

"I am pretty sure the only thing we are actually keeping from this kitchen is those dusty bottles of wine that you like." Elena sighs and Elijah laughs as he throws away some plastic containers.

"This is a lot of depression glass and candy bowls." Elena notes as she sets a few of the things she sees into the donate box.

"This is a lot of several things." Elijah notes and she laughs.

"Would we ever live here?" Elena wonders and Elijah pauses.

"I don't know. What do you want?" He asks.

* * *

"These are from the flapper era. I wonder whose they were." Freya says and Rebekah shrugs as she moves a dusty box.

"Fuck." Freya swears and Rebekah apologizes.

"I might need to write my will after this. I think I've inhaled a pound of dust since we've been in here." Freya jokes then coughs as Rebekah carefully opens the cardboard box. It's full of chunky jewelry from different eras and Rebekah begins to go through it.

* * *

"I can't believe I don't remember setting her curtains on fire." Kol says after a period of silence. Caroline thought that perhaps he was thinking of his aunt, she looks up from her book in surprise. Her husband laughs.

"You did much worse as a child Kol, I'm not surprised you don't remember." Klaus tells his younger brother and Kol frowns.

"You remember it?" He wonders and Klaus nods.

"I remember Freya and Elijah trying to put it out before Finn got the fire extinguisher and it woke Dahlia up from her nap. I remember trying to draw it later but I couldn't get the flames quite right." Klaus looks far away and so does Kol, Caroline wants to grab them and pull them back to Earth, but the moment is over as Kol's flight is called.

"See you later." Kol says and doesn't look back. He doesn't like goodbyes, and his family gets together enough that it's only temporary anyway. He used to worry when he was younger that one of them would die without their siblings. Then he wouldn't get a chance to actually say goodbye but death hasn't come for any of them yet and he keeps his mind busy with other things. Kol Mikaelson keeps walking.

* * *

"Maybe someday we'll revamp this house and have Christmas here." Elena sighs. She can see the potential despite the wood paneling and outdated appliances.

"Maybe." Elijah agrees and his wife stares at a cabinet for a moment.

"Maybe we should think about writing our own wills. Just in case." Elena says and he looks at her with a mischievous grin.

"Are you planning on killing me for the insurance money or something?" He asks and she tries to look serious but chokes on her laughter.

No-I just mean-we should-think-about it." She manages to speak between burst of laughter and he smiles at her, if she wants to write wills they'll write wills.

"Only if you promise to not kill me for the insurance money." He says in a stern tone and she looks at him and begins to laugh again. They're going to get through all of this and box it up and write their wills, Elijah knows. Maybe he and his wife will try a glass or two of those dusty wines he found.

"I promise." Elena says solemnly and then he's the one laughing.

It's happy, happier than they really should be in a dead woman's house, but life goes on and they are alive. Life doesn't stop for anyone and they want to enjoy the time they have left.


	18. Historical Figure

AN: The prompt for this week is: A story about a historical figure. Written for the week of May 14-20.

Elena is a junior at Whitmore during this story and let's just pretend it's like a forty five minute drive to Mystic Falls from there. All of the drama in this happened while Elena was in college and Klaus is just a drama king with no hybrids because nope. Speaking of kings the king I'm having Elena research is fictional. Kudos if you can find the reference in this. Slight Klaroline.

Also, I am sorry this is late but Orlando shooting just happened and I am shaken. It hits very close to home and I wasn't able to write for a while. Dedicated to Caitlin.

* * *

She calls ahead to make sure he'll be home and he assures her that she's not a bother. Elena sincerely hopes she isn't a bother, she's almost through her drive back to Mystic Falls. Although, she has a feeling that she would know if she truly was bothering the Original, she still has mixed feelings about her ally. Elijah is attractive and they've kind of been in this messy ally relationship for a while. She likes him and they've often been on the same side, she's not sure exactly where they stand or if he just maintains their relationship out of boredom or maybe necessity.

She's not the only one who's in a messy relationship with an Original. Caroline likes Klaus and technically he hasn't killed anyone from Mystic Falls, he's just been dramatic and threatened everyone. Then one weekend, Caroline wanted to visit her mom and went with Elena. Klaus liked her immediately and it's been an odd peace since then.

Elena remembers when Elijah called after they returned to their dorm with the most alarm she's ever heard in his voice. But Elijah is hard to read and the alarm might have just been her imagination. Caroline turning down the radio brings her back to the present, she remembers that they're on the road to the Mikaelsons' and she's not alone.

"If we stay too late for us to drive back, Jenna's okay with us spending the night." Elena tells her best friend and Caroline smiles.

"We should see her before we leave, I love Jenna. How's Alaric?" Caroline asks and Elena grins. It was a bit weird at the beginning when Jenna started to date their former history teacher but they're happy together and that's what matters really.

"They're good." Elena assures her as she parks in the Mikaelson's driveway.

"I can't believe you're only going to talk with Elijah about some dead king." Caroline says as they shut their doors and she hands Elena her messenger bag.

"We might talk about other things." Elena defends it, even though they probably will end up mostly talking about the king she has to write a fifteen page paper on. Elena locks the car and the door opens to reveal a figure as they walk up the steps.

It's Elijah and Elena smiles. Caroline smiles when she sees Klaus appear next to him. It's not smart exactly, they both know the Originals could rip them apart, but they know they won't. What they have with the brothers is tricky but it works.

"Elena." Elijah says and she can't help the smile that appears on her lips.

"Elijah." She says and she doesn't pay attention to Caroline and Klaus disappearing out of sight, Elijah shuts the door and tells her that he has the library ready for them. Elena follows, curious to see what he's been able to put together. He's so proper and put together in a perfect suit, even though it's nine o'clock at night and he's just helping her with a way too long essay over a historical figure she finds interesting.

She loves the Mikaelson library and Elijah has a neat table of aged books and papers spread all over one of the wooden massive tables. Elena sets her messenger bag down on a clear space to pull out her notes and laptop.

"How long does this paper need to be?" He inquires.

"Fifteen pages minimum." She says as her laptop turns on.

"We'd better get started them. Can I look at these?" Elijah asks, gesturing to her notes and she nods.

Elena's notes are interesting, familiar handwriting cramped with the need to get it all down.

"Sorry if my handwriting is unreadable, Caroline keeps better notes because she can write faster. Vampire speed and all." Elena apologizes a minute later as she opens an internet browser.

"Your handwriting is perfectly fine I assure you." Elijah tells her and she smiles at that. Elena begins typing and she lets him read her notes in the chair a few feet away uninterrupted before she asks questions. He notices her notes in the margins when the professor is speaking about the class, her notes about her friends and the notes she writes when they learn about the essay. There's a note that mentions him, she's sure he's much more knowledgeable than any book she could find on the dead king at the library. He represses a laugh and closes her notebook.

"Can I start asking questions?" Elena asks and he nods.

"Fire at will." Elijah replies and she does just that. It's one question after another, and he answers them with ease. Elena types quickly as he can answer, and he slows his responses so he doesn't rush her.

"Thank you." She says without looking up from her screen, not that he minds.

"You're welcome." He responds and she stops typing for a moment.

"How did you two meet?" She asks and he pauses. There's a lot of memory to sift through, it takes him a second to remember the circumstances before he speaks again. It was centuries ago in England, before Katerina was ever born.

She looks at him occasionally as she types, he seems far away and his accent is thicker as he tells the stories of his time in King Duncan's court. She stops typing as he starts to talk of the end of the king, and looks over at him.

"Then we left, Duncan was dead and someone was bound to notice that my siblings and I had not aged." Elijah finishes and she nods. Elena wants to say something but he asks if she's done with her essay yet. She nods and looks at the time. It's ridiculously late and she's gonna need a lot of coffee to get up in the morning.

"I need to write my conclusion but other than that I'm done." Elena answers.

"Would you like me to read it?" Elijah inquires and she nods.

"I would love to know what you think." Elena answers and hands her laptop to him. She tries to hide her yawn but after a minute of watching Elijah focus on the screen in front of him she decides she can put her head on her bag and close her eyes for a moment. He notices when she falls asleep but he adds his own comments to the document for her to think about, and adds sources to her bibliography page, almost all of the information he told her can be found in a journal he edited and published as an archeological find a few decades ago. There's no mention of his siblings or the supernatural in it, just historical fact. He looks through it more than once and when he notices the late hour and the fact neither Klaus or Caroline have spoken for more than an hour, he attempts to wake Elena. He does not allow himself to focus on anything other than waking Elena, the thoughts he can't entertain are too distracting. The fact that Elena chose to ask him means that she values him as an ally. They can't be anything outside of that. Of course they cannot.

"Elena." He murmurs, carefully reaching out to touch her arm.

"Hmm?" The noise escapes her mouth and he sees her eyes looking at him, Elena raises her head and as much as he would like to have her stay and he's sure Klaus wants Caroline to stay, they have a plan to meet Bonnie for breakfast. They cannot stay.

"What time is it?"

"About three in the morning. I would have let you sleep but we do have much more comfortable places to sleep here than our tables and if you want to run in the morning and meet Bonnie and your other friends for breakfast you'll need to leave soon." Elijah reminds her and she groans before she fully commits to waking up.

"Did you like my paper?" She asks and he nods.

"Very much." He assures her and she asks him where Caroline is as she stands up. He waits for her to put her laptop away before he tells her that Klaus and Caroline are in his brother's studio.

"Great. Let's go get Caroline." She says and he nods.

* * *

Klaus is annoyed to be woken up to say goodbye to Caroline but does so anyway.

"I had fun. See you later, Klaus." It's not a goodbye, they'll see each other again, probably soon, she thinks. Elijah and Elena are waiting outside of the room.

"Thank you." Elena says and he nods.

"I'm glad I could be of assistance, lovely Elena." He responds and she wonders if he calls everyone lovely or if he just does that with her. She smiles at him, and then Caroline walks out of the room. Elijah walks them back to the front door, and watches them drive away.


	19. Theatre

The prompt for this story is: A story set in a theatre. Written for the week of May 21-27. Fun fact: I actually kind of can't stand theatre, I had a "friend" pick theatre over me and it always reminds me of her. Anyway, hope you guys enjoy this! Dedicated to Caitlin.

* * *

She considers herself to be fairly observant, she's been a vampire for a few decades and she relies on her keen senses. But Elena honestly doesn't expect to see another hand reaching for the same book she is. She looks to the man next to her and recognizes him. The tension is gone, and she greets him with a grin.

"Elijah." She says, wondering if he'll remember the time he spent in Mystic Falls, the way they did things then.

"Elena." He responds, pleased to see her. Their ally relationship suited them well back then, he remembers how they used to greet each other with names instead of hellos. She smiles because he didn't forget and he reaches for two copies of the same book. She looks different, older, wiser and he hands one of the books to her. They walk to the registers in comfortable silence despite the things they both want to ask and say. After they both pay there's a moment where they both linger outside of the bookstore. The cold doesn't bother either of them, it hasn't for quite a while.

"Do you want to go get coffee?" She asks and he nods.

"I would like that." He says and she gives him a relieved smile.

* * *

They've been talking for a while, about everything from the weather to their siblings and she's returned to the line to get coffee again a few times but finally she just asks.

"How are _you_?" She presses.

"I am fine. I didn't expect the cold weather to arrive so early but here we are." Elijah gestures to the flurries and ice on the sidewalk.

"No, what have you been up to, where have you been since I saw you last?" Elena clarifies and he understands what she's asking. He begins again and she sips at her latest chocolate coffee drink as he speaks.

It's quite a while before either of them focus on anything other than each other. It grows dark outside and she pauses.

"I'd like to see you again." She tells him, and she can see the slight movement in his lips before he speaks.

"I'd like that." Elijah says and she writes her number down on a coffee shop napkin with a pen from her purse and he promises to text her.

* * *

It's been a few weeks and she's really not sure what they're doing but she enjoys seeing Elijah and he enjoys seeing her. It's just as simple and complicated as that. There have been others that she's done an odd dating thing with but Elijah is different. There's history and understanding there and she can't let herself think on it because they aren't dating. There's a knock at the door as she's putting her earrings in.

"Fuck." She swears, she needs another minute and if that's Elijah at the door then he definitely heard her. She slips into her heels and opens the door.

"Elijah." She can hear her heart react to seeing him and hopes they can both ignore it, like they did in Mystic Falls. No matter what she feels for him she doesn't-she can't wreck what they have. Elijah's her only friend in the city that knows what she is and there's a certain freedom to being with him. It's easy, and she thought of him after she left Mystic Falls and the Salvatore brothers behind.

"Elena." He follows their routine and she's thankful.

* * *

He parks and gets out of the car, careful of the ice and snow. He moves at a human pace to help Elena out of the car.

"There's an icy patch right there even though the sidewalks and streets have been salted within an inch of their life." Elijah says and she realizes it's a joke as he offers his hand. She takes it and closes the car door with her free hand. One of her heels meets the ice patch and Elijah moves her away from it. Her hand is still in his she realizes as she looks at him. His grip loosens and hers tightens.

"There might be more ice." It's an excuse and they both know it but Elijah's too much of a gentleman to call her out on it. She only sees the icy patch by the car but she also doesn't want to risk falling again, or at least that's what she tells herself.

* * *

He feels foolish for caring for Elena Gilbert, but there's always been something between them despite their colorful history together. It's not the level of care he feels for allies, this is more complicated and twisting in his chest. It was easy to dismiss the beginning of it in Mystic Falls, she was human, she needed to see the world and live, but now neither of those things are true. She lets his hand go when they've sat down.

Small talk is safe, so they engage in that before the play begins. One of the advantages to going to see a play is that there isn't very much time for talking. Elijah knows he's over thinking but he cannot help it. This is tricky, trying to decide what to do because he wants their friendship even if his foolish heart wants more he can't have more. He is content with whatever Elena wants to give him but this almost looks like dating from the few romantic comedies Rebekah had made him watch with her.

Their outings and daily communication, he can't be the only one reading into this but he pays attention to the plot. The story is fairly standard, and Elena looks as interested as he does. It is a wonderful play but he doesn't know that Elena's focus isn't entirely on it either. There's a part meant to startle the audience that doesn't surprise him at all but Elena's hand finds his. Neither of them mention their fingers intertwined, she wonders how her their fingers fit together so well, but they continue watching like that, and sometimes she glances over to see if he reacts the same way she does.

The scenery and the props are beautiful, she can see the details in them, the work and effort put into it. It's all so beautiful but sad. There's so much work put into this and it only lasts a short while. The play is beautiful despite how temporary it is and she wants to ask Elijah if life feels like this as a vampire she's never seen things like this before. She looks to the stage and his hand squeezes hers. She gives him a small smile, and then it ends. The ending is happy despite the tragedy it took to get there and they rise to clap when the cast is gathered on stage to bow.

It's a crowded rush of people trying to leave when the curtains close and the actors disappear, Elijah pulls them away from the crowd to wait for a moment and as he checks their surroundings he feels something soft touch his lips.

It takes a moment for him to recognize what it is, Elena's lips are on his and that's all that matters for a moment. The lines he thought she wanted to keep and the lines he drew, all erased.

It's over quickly, they are in a public place, but she looks at him for a moment.

"I think the crowd's mostly gone if you want to leave now." She says and he laughs, it's not what he expected but Elena's always been unexpected.


	20. Second Person

AN: The prompt for this story is: A story written in 2nd person. Written for the week of May 28-June 2nd. All human au. Elijah is the perspective I am writing from, he is a junior in high school and Elena is a sophomore in high school. Second person is an interesting style I haven't attempted before so let me know what you think! We all know who this is about. Trigger warning, mentions of abuse. Dedicated to Caitlin.

* * *

You don't love her. Not at first. You text off and on, you see each other at school. There's really no harm in being friendly to Elena Gilbert. She's got her own friend and you've got a few of your own, none of them are very close but you get by. Sometimes that's all life feels like to you, it's just getting by, a series of tasks that you know will be followed by another series of tasks until you can eventually escape your parents and this town and never ever fucking look back. Life is good. Well, life isn't particularly great but it could be worse, it could always be worse, you've lived through much worse and at this point, your junior year is smooth sailing in comparison.

It's not to say you live an easy life. Sure you have siblings but you're all going through puberty and as the second oldest Mikaelson you have to set a standard. But you're pretty numb, you've stopped caring about it all. Honestly homework, going to school, dealing with it all is just routine. You've decided it's not good or bad, it just is, there are thousands of teenagers who have gone through the system like you but sometimes you wonder how many got through intact and how many actually became happy adults. You see very boring adults or the adults who have been here forever and their names have been synonymous with their jobs, it is a small town.

There aren't many secrets but you don't think there are any parents like yours, who scream at you and your siblings and each other. It's not just the screaming, sometimes your mother tells you in a calm voice that you are a disgrace, she doesn't have to take care of you even though you want to point out that she does actually, legally. There are times where you've been home and immediately known by how the door opened and slammed shut that your father was home, your stern and strong terrifying father.

One time, your younger brother Niklaus said the wrong thing and he hit a cabinet door so hard that the wood splintered away from the hinges and it hit the floor like a slap to the face. You protected him, he was just a kid and so were you but shit, you had to do something. You think about it for a moment and then let the memory fade even though you know in your bones you will never forget how that felt, how your pulse raced and how the wood sounded as it broke and what your little brother's face looked like. You work on history homework and ignore it.

You talk for a few weeks, even though you moved to town a few years ago you've never really gotten around to actually talking to Elena Gilbert and you find that she's interesting. You both install an app so your parents can't look at the messages. You don't recognize it for what it is but you wonder why her parents would look at her messages. You understand your parents. You wish you didn't, but you understand them on some level. You can't condone what they've done to you and your siblings and as soon as you and Finn are out you're going to work on getting your younger siblings out of that house.

You talk more frankly than you've spoken with another human being who isn't related to you in years. You mention that you're numb and that you want to feel something. You wait for a response, you don't suspect Elena Gilbert of cruelty but you don't anticipate her response either. She asks you what would make you feel and you throw out the idea of a horror movie. You haven't felt scared in a while, at least supernatural creatures don't exist too. The world is not that shitty, you decide. You may be stuck with parents that hate you and your siblings but at least you don't have to worry about the strange creatures that eat disgusting things from the movie coming to get you.

You watch the movie at the same time on laptops streets away from each other, and though there are people closeby, you feel closer to her in these two hours than any other human. You actually get a little jumpy and she responds that she is too. That's the moment. That's the moment you realize this can't just be this, you want her to be your friend, she is already closer than the people who you call friends but know you would never see after school or on the weekends. You had a best friend but he turned into an asshole who dumped you right before it got bad for a sport of all things. You have to see him sit with his team at lunch and in classes and wonder if it was worth it to him, to drop you like you were nothing. He picked the team over you and while you don't hate him for that, you hate that you know he's not good enough to go anywhere with it, he won't get a scholarship, even with his shiny new friends who speak the same sports language lingo he does. He won't get a scholarship and you know it, he doesn't know it but the whole world knows it and your parents and siblings were used to him after four fucking years of friendship.

You want Elena Gilbert as your best friend and it's entirely plausible, she has Caroline Forbes and Bonnie Bennett and quite a few others but she confesses that she's never admitted so much to anyone else either. You aren't best friends, not yet, but she made you feel something, she watched a horror movie with you through the power of wifi and laptops and phones and you've known people who can't even be fucking bothered to text you back. From day one she was special and yeah you noticed she was beautiful but dismissed it. She texts you goodnight, she's early to fall asleep and early to rise but when you look back you don't look at the weeks before this moment, you look at that movie as the beginning.

What a good beginning. You begin to look forward to things, mostly Elena related things but no one is going to blame you for that. You text after school on your app with her and in the morning. You share music, ideas, food, books, advice and everything you think you can offer to her. She is your best friend and she loves you and you love her. You would die for her, you know it in your bones.

It's a while before you really crack each other's shells but you do it pretty easily. You two are give and take and it's good. She opens up that her family isn't exactly perfect either, and sends a picture of bruises on her arm. You swallow and realize you are in the same boat, you and your brave best friend. She's young, and while that sounds stupid, she's a year younger and while you've lived through your abuse you know you can handle it. Elena is younger than you are and no one deserves to be abused like that. You realize you are both on the same road, in the same boat and then it's born, in the middle of a story you're working on together, you start a plan. You have this year and the next and then you can get the fuck out of this town, but you have your siblings to think about and you promise her in the middle of the story, the different font disrupts the dialogue of two characters but you don't care, you promise her you will not leave her behind.

You two are alike and you're gonna get the fuck out of this shithole together. Maybe with her little brother and your siblings will be there too, but you know that no matter what you'll make sure they're okay and you will be with Elena. In the end you think you will be with Elena. You have to be.

You feel less numb when you talk to her, when you send a good morning message, or see her say goodnight even though you know you'll be up a few more hours afterward.

It's good and it's not all Elena, there are other friends, but nothing compares to Elena. You're not sure which one of you says it first but she tells you she loves you and you _automatically_ tell her you love her back. It's not a relationship, neither of you can have that with the parents you have but you love each other and you don't need a label. You are best friends and that is all that matters.

She has her other friends and you have your friends, people who are safe and much less observant to what you two are going through and doing, but you see them and do things with them too. You aren't obsessed with each other, you just love each other and there's a difference and you both know it.

She makes you smile because you're two idiots who like the same things but you don't have everything in common. You think the world is a terrible place and it is, it really is, but maybe it wouldn't be so bad to experience it with her.

Plans evolve, ideas of after her graduation grow to Europe, she has family there. Less crappy family and they've wanted her to visit for a while. You know you'll stay in this town for her, but you are both leaving it together and that's what matters.

Time goes on and you've never actually thought about murdering another human being before until she tells you her mother hit her and her younger brother and you have to give advice on how to get rid of bruises in visible places. You see red but she does not need anger so you keep it for another day, and your concern outweighs your anger. You don't realize it at the time but if you made a list of what you would and wouldn't do right then there would not be very much in the Would Not Do For Elena column. You know this but you don't think about it. It's just a fact, like the sky is blue and the grass is green and that you both need to get out of town before you're stuck like the three types of adults you both see.

All of the love songs make sense and you both share fantasies about Canada or another country with siblings safe and happy and you two living somewhere. You don't care where, it doesn't really matter, what matters is Elena next to you and your siblings are fine. That's all. She begins a list of all the things you'll do when you're both free out of the cages you're stuck in. They may be cages but at least the cages face each other and there's a timer counting when you both get out.

She mentions children and pets at one point in your future fantasy, after college maybe you two can have these things. You don't hate children but you also don't love them, fear of being like your parents hits both of you but she mentions adoption. There are so many kids that need homes and honestly you know you would do anything if she asked and you tell her that you have time before you have to think about it but you know she could talk you into being a parent or pet owner. Elena Gilbert can talk you into anything, and you know it. At least you know it.

There's loose plans, neither of you can act like you really know each other in the hallways, both your parents and hers have too many connections at school for that to be smart, but you're not idiots. Your parents know you're friends but neither set is sure how far that goes.

Summer, school finally yields to glorious and horrible summer. You talk more, you both write more, you write together more and watch more bad movies and keep a list and more lists. You give her old books and jewelry and your grandmother gave you lab made diamonds years ago and you kept them for some reason. You wonder if they're big enough for a possible engagement ring, if nothing else you can get a ring made to fit one of them and give it to your best friend to make sure she has an easy way out when people try to hit on her.

It's not easy being Elena and it's not easy being a girl, you won't ever fully understand it, but you've split your knuckles on enough people who've insulted your sister or implied false things. You're her older brother you have to do that and Finn is too worried about being caught. Even if you don't end up with Elena, a horrible thought because the thought of not being with her cuts like a sharp knife through you, you'd rather see her happy with someone else than miserable with you. You care about her and not just romantically. She's your best friend of course you want the best for her, she's so good at writing you know she's going to change the world and blow minds and you can't wait to be upfront to witness it. You don't get a lab diamond made into a ring yet but she approves, lab made diamonds don't cost lives or a bunch of money and and her approval is really what you want in the end.

Summer is good, way too hot and even if you can't really see each other except for the odd events the town always throws it's still good. The Founders from the Civil War probably don't care about their living descendants but Elena gets dragged into dealing with quite a few of the events that revolve around them.

Neither of you remember exactly when it is but you jokingly ask her to marry you and she responds with a simple yes. Maybe you'll get married after you get your lives together, after college and you think about getting your parents with hers and tell them that you both changed your numbers, you're getting married and they can fuck off. It's not a lot, but honestly it's the little things that make the eventual future fantasy so good.

You start to think about it because Elena doesn't really like churches and you don't really either, the one or two that are in the entire town are full of judgmental people. There have to be adults who know what's happening to both of you and nothing's changed, Elena would want an outdoor wedding with a lot of flowers. Elena loves flowers, and she plans your future potential pets and yard and you think about the house. To fit her books and yours, you're going to need a library honestly. You're going to be weird adults, but you're both sure you won't drink and you won't make the mistakes your parents did, you'll keep each other together.

Then school comes around and you're a senior and she's a junior and life is pretty okay. Your brother thinks that there might be a way to get your aunt that lives in Richmond, Aunt Freya to get custody of your siblings but it will happen after you graduate, if at all. You tell her you love her every time you text, you tell her in the morning, you tell her as you say goodnight and she says it back every time. You love her, this is going to work, you might actually have a future, it's so bizarre to think about, you get through classes and drama and life. It is all fine until February. It has been cold lately, but thinking about Elena makes you warm, you love her more than you love anything else. You love Elena Gilbert more than you thought you could ever love anyone or anything. She is the sun, she is light, she is the gelato she got you hooked on, she is the book you're both working on, she is the person who makes you warm in a cold world. Elena Gilbert is everything. You're at school, like in a show from the nineties when you find out and the world falls off its fucking axis for a few minutes until you get more information out of Caroline Forbes.

Elena was driving with one of her friends to school and they were hit by a drunk driver going way too fucking fast for your small town and you want to hurt the person who hit her and her friend. He crawled out of his car screaming at them as blood got on Elena's notebooks and she passed out and her friend called 911 before she passed out too.

You cut your elective to see her, your teacher doesn't care about attendance and you're seniors you already don't care to some extent. You make your way through to her hospital bed and she smiles, even though she's bruised and hurt and her ribs are broken and she has a concussion and they're not even sure what all has happened to her or her friend.

"He looks worse." She tells you and you know who she means and she must see the anger in your eyes directed at him.

"He should be. I'm glad." The words are ugly but you don't regret them, and she sighs because she's in pain.

"Are you okay?" You ask urgently, revenge is forgotten as she winces.

"I'll be fine." She promises and you're told you aren't allowed to visit by an annoyed nurse. She knows you'll be back and she promises to tell Caroline. Caroline will relay when friends can visit. You're best friends and you want to marry her and make her happy, you want nothing more in your life than to make her happy. More than friends implies something neither of you like, friends are important and you never say that, but if someone else looked at the two of you they'd call you that.

It is five days before she's released to be back home and you ask her again if she's okay and she _promises_ that she is. Elena keeps her promises. You say goodnight and so does she and you can't wait to see her at school the next day.

* * *

Elena Gilbert is not at school the next day. Caroline looks at you with mascara running down her face and you just know.

"How?" You press at the wound in her that's forming in you.

"They said-they-they said it was an aneurysm." Caroline sobs and your world stops. The world stops and it is so very cold. You wonder if you have frostbite as tears escape. Elena was, is, is everything. She is everything, Elena can't be past tense, you find yourself sliding down the wall to the floor. No, no, no. This can't be happening this isn't real, this is your worst nightmare, she was, is a junior in high school this has to be a joke. You want to die, not in a dramatic way, not in a refusual to go on living which doesn't sound bad, but god, what if she's alone?

What if Elena's alone? What if she's expecting you to join her? It all starts to come back, the little things. It's the serious note you had when you told her you wanted to die first so you'd never have to live without her, it's the quote she sent you that life was nothing without friends, it's the fact you had plans, you had plans damnit.

You were both gonna get out of here. You were going to get married and adopt kids or have a dog or fish and do drinking games with water and have a flower garden for a yard. You were going to hold her hand all the time, you were going to be there for her and you were going to have a future.

You do not have a future now.

Adults, all three types this type say the same thing.

You do have a future, they assure you with uncaring and eyes that don't understand this tragedy. _She said yes. Were you engaged?_ you wonder.

"I don't. And if I do, I don't want one without Elena." You finally say and they look at you with the same look.

All of the love songs and the sad songs give you the same feeling, you feel life you can't breathe, salt burns your face from racing out of your eyes, Elena took your heart with her.

You wonder if there's a glass one or a complicated fake in your chest, and if you cut your chest open, could you tell?

You have a birthday.

It doesn't matter.

You graduate high school.

It doesn't matter.

Elena is not there and so it does not matter because she mattered and this does not and you begin to hate every person who tells you and shoves you into trying to "move on". You aren't going to.

How can you move on when she told you she loved you and you loved her back and you were going to move to a foreign country together after it all got sorted out and god, she called you her soulmate.

You write to her on something you both liked writing on and wonder if she sees it. You wonder if she knows you write, you wonder if the girl with the biggest heart and your heart and all of your secrets and all of the light in the world remembers you where she is. You can't remember although you've tried, you've tried so fucking hard to remember what she believed in for an afterlife, you can't remember.

But in the end, you just hope she's happy. You keep the letters she wrote you close, and the lab made diamonds out of memory more than anything, but there will not be ring made for anyone but Elena, she was everything and you still can't breathe as you sign up for college and your aunt gets custody of your siblings.

You don't "move on" from Elena, you don't love anyone else and you live until you die, hoping Elena will be the first thing you see after this life.

But you hope she's happy, even as you're apart. You'd set yourself on fire to keep her warm, you'd tear yourself apart to save her, you cannot name all the horrible things you'd do for her. She is dead and you are not. Life is not fair, and you knew that from the beginning but all you wanted was Elena and now she is gone.

You don't know where to go from here.


	21. Different Planet

AN: The prompt for this story is "A story set on another planet." Written for the week of June 3-9.

This is going to be a lot more lighthearted than the last one. I love space and science, but this is not going to be entirely accurate for time and plot reasons. Also no Caroline/Bonnie romance or Elijah/Elena romance in this, I chose them because they think they'd be good at working together and they all have to be good at trusting each other. Romance would complicate the mission anyway. I'm aiming for a Scully/Mulder vibe of trust and respect while being in love with each other.

Also I know Mars is not good for human habitation and the fact that according to the awesome people at NASA that "...you will have to spend 3-4 months at Mars before you can begin your return trip. All in all, your trip to Mars would take about 21 months: 9 months to get there, 3 months there, and 9 months to get back. With our current rocket technology, there is no way around this. The long duration of trip has several , you have to bring enough food, water, clothes, and medical supplies for the crew in addition to all the scientific instruments you will want to take. You also have to bring all that fuel! In addition, if you are in space for nine months, you will need a lot of shielding to protect you from the radiation of the Sun. Water, and cement make good shielding but they are very heavy. All together, it is estimated that for a crew of six, you would need to 3 million pounds of supplies! The Shuttle can lift about 50,000 pounds into space, so it would take 60 shuttle launches to get all your supplies into space." So uh, this will not be scientifically accurate please don't hate me. Also they totally do have wifi on board and a way to charge their electronics. Totally. I don't know where the hell this went.

* * *

It's a rush, voices in their ears, the sensation of going too fast all combine as they soar into the air. It's completely unlike anything else, her years of working towards this job and the years of months for this project, it's all been leading up to this moment and for a second she looks over at her partner in this, and speaks.

"You okay, Mikaelson?" She calls, it's loud with the engines and the fact they are flying through the layers of the atmosphere after all.

"I'm perfect, Gilbert." He calls back, even though there's only a few feet between them. There are two others with them, in a different part of the structure strapped in going through the same thing. He hears Elena laugh and the team back on Earth asks how they're doing. Elena answers before he can.

"According to Mikaelson, he's perfect." She jokes and they hear a few chuckles from Mission Control.

"No, we're okay so far. Still moving at the speed we need." Elena informs them, it's going to be a long nine months of traveling in space before they can even get to Mars, but at least the anxious excitement in her veins is starting to fade, They're in space, they made it. They've all worked so hard to get to this point that it just feels like victory. There's not much to do but make sure the ship stays on auto pilot after they're sure they're on the right course.

Elijah finds her floating, staring out one of the windows with a blank expression.

"Elena." He says, and she turns her head to look at him, as he moves to float next to her.

"Elijah." She acknowledges.

"What are you thinking about?" He wonders and she laughs.

"It's funny, I was thinking about our house." She tells him and he lets out a laugh too. They split the mortgage of a house near their workplace, it's so easy to do and neither of them want to live alone. Neither of them are dating anyone either, they've been close for years. It just makes sense.

"Finn will visit every so often to make sure it's fine." He reminds her and she sighs.

"Nine months is a long time to wait." She says and Elijah knows what she means.

"We've wait much longer for less." He reminds her and she nods.

"I know." She says and he asks her if she wants him to leave her alone. She shakes her head.

They stay there in silence for a few moments before either of them speak again.

"Do you want to watch Star Wars?" She asks, and he laughs.

"I'm just kidding. I like Star Trek better." Elena says and Elijah continues laughing.

* * *

They do end up watching science fiction shows and movies. It's fun and cringeworthy as a scientist, so much of it is inaccurate, but she and Elijah watch a lot of it in the months they wait to arrive. Caroline and Bonnie watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer and occasionally Elijah and Elena join them for a few episodes.

"I can't believe at this point we're getting paid to watch Netflix and check on the ship." Caroline says and Elena laughs.

"You're not wrong." Bonnie admits as she selects the next episode. Elijah laughs at some of the bad special effects from the show and Caroline floats into the space, and looks put out.

"What's wrong Care?" Elena asks.

"It is really hard to dance in space." Caroline pouts and the others laugh. They've seen videos of others singing and doing ridiculous things in space, Caroline's hoping to make one.

"I'm sure you'll get it someday. We do have quite a while for you to work on it." Elijah tells her and she smiles.

"Thank you, Elijah. What season are we on?" Caroline asks as Buffy stakes a vampire on the screen.

"Season four." Bonnie answers and Caroline grins.

* * *

They're on season five when Caroline asks what they all think they'd be if they were in the universe of Buffy and her friends.

"Elijah would be a vampire. Like a good vampire but-" Bonnie begins.

"No way." Elijah retorts and Elena lets out a giggle.

"I'd be a vampire slayer or a witch." Bonnie decides aloud.

"Oh shit, watch out Elijah." Caroline jokes before she and Elena burst out laughing.

"Elena would be a slayer or a witch." Bonnie ignores Caroline's comment and Elijah's look at their laughter. Elijah's dirty look makes them laugh even harder.

"I could see Caroline as any of those options." Elena says after she's gotten all of her laughter out and Caroline fakes indignation.

"I can't imagine being a vampire. Drinking blood would be so gross." She says in a matter of fact tone and Elijah snorts.

"As a fellow member of the fictional undead I think I can safely say we'd have bigger things to worry about." Elijah says dryly and Elena and Bonnie laugh.

* * *

They check on the plants and machines and each other, with Mission Control but it's still a lot of free time even with actual work and working out. Elena writes in her journal, Elijah video calls his siblings, Bonnie reads and Caroline checks in on her mom then watches whatever she wants.

"Are you still trying to find the right song for your future viral video?" Bonnie asks. Caroline sighs and nods.

"I am." She admits and Elijah and Elena float over.

"We found the perfect song." Elena grins at Caroline and she knows she won't be dancing solo.

* * *

It's not inappropriate dancing, they're just dancing for fun to the best of their ability to the fast paced pop song, Elena pretends to sing along and so does Caroline. Elijah told Elena that she totally owes him for this because his brothers are going to be ruthless when they see it but she promises to do return the favor someday and he knows she's going to keep that promise.

Their team at Mission Control laughs their asses off when they get the video, they promise to edit it and send it back before posting it, clean up the sound and visuals first, and Caroline has the biggest grin for a week before they get it back.

"Can we post it?" One of their PR people asks and Caroline grins.

"Absolutely." She replies and then she waits. The video hits a couple million views in the time Caroline watches a few episodes of a new show.

* * *

It's so odd to see it, after so long. Mars is dusty, red orange and brighter than Elena imagined. They're all strapped in, anticipation in their veins and muscles, Elena tries not to blink, she wants to capture how it felt exactly for her journal and science. It's indescribable, and she forgets how to speak as they soar through the atmosphere, they almost hit the ground but Elijah guides the ship to stay above the ground, and then she helps him land the ship.

"Time to suit up." Elijah says.

* * *

It's exciting for the first few minutes of course, of course that's exciting, Mission Control is thrilled they even reached the planet, but all of their experience and time and work has led to this. They're the first people on Mars, and they're to check on the machines there and their to-do list keeps them busy. Or at least the to-do list is supposed to keep them busy, but they still watch Buffy and work out and have free time.

They do rock paper scissors for it, but Elena wins and she and Jeremy are the first siblings to ever video call on different planets. They'll always have a place in the record books.

Every day on Mars is for the record books technically, but Elena wants it over when they run out of freeze dried ice cream.

"We're dooooomed." Caroline tells Mission Control dramatically, drawing out the second word.

The woman in charge at the moment laughs and Caroline pretends to scowl.

"I'm glad you think this is funny, because this is an absolute travesty." Caroline exclaims and Elena lets a laugh escape.

"How many days do we have until we need to leave?" Bonnie asks and Mission Control responds.

"A week." A man tells them and Elena cheers. Three months on Mars have gone quickly, but there's still the nine month trip back.

* * *

"I think Caroline's going to buy an entire grocery store worth of food when we get back." Elena tells Elijah and he laughs.

"What do you want to do when we get back?" Elijah inquires and she smiles.

"Why? Are you gonna help me with my list?" She teases and he nods.

"I'd love to." He doesn't mean to say love but it slips out and they're aware of the tension that's always there, but they both know they can't go there, not now, maybe not ever and especially not on Mars.

"I hope you like funnel cakes and movies and concerts." Elena responds and a smirk grows on his lips.

"Maybe I do." He answers. She smiles at him.

* * *

It's a blur of a week, double checking samples and supplies and working out. Caroline starts them all on a new dorky science fiction show and then they have to leave the red, hot and dusty planet. Elena misses rain and clouds, and adds them to the list of things she wants to experience when they get home.

Leaving Mars is nice, but once they're in open space again, she remembers why she had felt so thrilled by being on a planet. Mars was a change of scenery, now they're in the ship for nine more months. Elena thinks she might kiss the dirt when they get back home. Elijah reminds her that there will be photographs if she does, international reporters will be there for the landing, she does not need global humiliation. Plus Jeremy would hold that over her for ages and so would his family.

"You're right." Elena sighs.

"I know." Elijah says and she sighs again.

"I hate it when you're right." Elena tells him, and he laughs.

* * *

It's a long way home, they have to watch Buffy again at Caroline's insistence and their viral video has a billion views.

It's amazing, and Elena knows she'll never feel a thrill quite like this again as they reenter Earth's atmosphere. There's going to be tests and physical therapy and talking to interviewers and other scientists and family and friends, but Elena's just happy to be home.

She and Elijah will tackle her list, their list technically, he added a few things, do all of it and go home.

Until then they smile for the cameras with Caroline and Bonnie.


	22. Dead Or Undead

AN: The prompt for this story is: A story written from the perspective of someone dead/undead. Written for the week of June 10-17. So I am so not doing first person because I'd rather be stabbed than write first person, I am just going to do third person limited instead. Elena and Matt are driving over Wickery bridge when it breaks, Matt survives intact but Elena does not. You know, if we put all of the fics where I make Elena a vampire or deal with a slice of the aftermath, we could probably splice them together to make a complete fic.

* * *

She's not alive but she's not dead either. Or maybe she is, she's not quite sure what the hell she is now. She wonders if she's even Elena Gilbert, if everything human and recognizable is eaten away over the years and centuries, if she'll become cold and unrecognizable.

"Do you know what you want to do?" Stefan asks her, almost gently like he cares but she doesn't care if he cares. He almost killed her a few weeks ago, any positive feelings she had for him died on the Wickery Bridge as she had to call Elijah of all people to come pick her up. It was dark, she didn't want to be anywhere near Stefan and Bonnie and Caroline didn't hear their phones at the concert they were at. Elena doesn't blame them.

Elena thinks about it for a moment, she watched from the trees as Stefan's car disappeared at her insistence, and remembers dialing the familiar numbers and then Elijah's. He had immediately inquired to what was wrong and where she was, she choked out the information through her tears. A familiar black car had appeared on the bridge in a matter of minutes and he looked at her with something in those unreadable eyes as he helped her to his car.

"Duh, she's going to be a vampire." Damon's voice interrupts her thoughts and she cringes.

"Call Caroline. Get her here." Elena says instead of any of the other things she wants to say, what she _should_ say. All of that work and effort from so many different places and she's in-between. In-between life and death, in-between choices and literally in-between two brothers. Stefan is on her left side, Damon is on her right.

"Alright." Stefan says slowly.

"Alright." He mutters under his breath as he looks through his contacts. As he waits for Caroline to pick up her phone, he looks to his brother.

"Don't do anything Damon. I mean it. This has to be her choice." He says firmly as they both hear Caroline say a very confused hello. Damon lets out a short, bitter bark of laughter. He's surprised Stefan's saying that in light of what happened when he turned.

Elena stares ahead, like her mind is empty, she wants it to be empty, she wants the choice to be simple. Elena wants this to be black and white, pure and simple, quick and easy. Her head is screaming at her, her ears hurt, it feels like being severely dehydrated, her head hates her and everything feels like too much, but her throat is the worst. There is only one thing that's going to fix the dry feeling in her throat that feels like it's closing up other than dying.

She doesn't want to die exactly, but she doesn't exactly want to live as a vampire either. She knows why Damon laughed, and she doesn't understand, she can't comprehend how he can say that to his brother and then say the next words that come out of his mouth.

"You need to transition."

"No." The word is supposed to be soft but it comes out rough, she's tired, she's tired damn it, damn him, this is not her first time dying.

"Elena-" Damon begins to speak again and she shakes her head.

"No." This time it comes out of her mouth, softly.

"No, I don't have to do anything. This is my choice." Elena tells him firmly and he just stares at her as Stefan reappears in the room. It's not really a room, it's a morgue, she was going to get cut open, oh god someone was going to do an autopsy as if she died of anything but drowning as she was stuck in Matt's truck at the bottom of the water.

Stefan clears his throat awkwardly, looking at her and then at his brother.

"I called Caroline, she's on her way." Stefan says and Elena nods tiredly.

"Can someone compel us out of here?" It's starting to become too much, she knows there's blood in the hospital, people who are dead and dying and she doesn't want to be in the morgue a second later.

"On it." Damon says but looks back at her for a moment.

"If you don't transition you're going to end up here again though, sooner rather than later." He reminds her and she stiffens.

"Damon, shut up." Stefan warns and Damon shakes his head at the pair of them and walks out of the room. It's sad almost that she can now count how many people she trusts with her life on one hand. Actually no, she knows that's sad. She's weary of Stefan, she thinks maybe all of her is weary, down to her cells. She can feel the tiredness and weariness and paranoia in her bones, she is so tired. SHe wishes there was another place to sit other than on the cold metal table, but there isn't, and she's thinking things that are too heavy until she's tackled.

It's not exactly a tackle, but it's definitely mixed with a hug, a perfect hybrid that Caroline has perfected.

"I am so sorry Elena." There's grief and weight in the words and Elena nods against Caroline's shoulder.

"Coast is clear. Time to go." Stefan says and Caroline nods.

"Just a minute, I want a minute alone with Elena." She tells Stefan, and he nods as he walks out of the room to find his brother.

"I'm taking you home." The vampire says and Elena exhales and nods with closed eyes.

Caroline's fast, she knows the Salvatores heard Caroline say that, Elena's surprised they aren't trying to race them.

"Bonnie did a spell to keep vampires out again. If you want them in you have to invite them in again." Caroline says as she gets the spare key from under the doormat. She hands the key to Elena who turns the key in the lock.

"Come in, Caroline." There was never a doubt, never a doubt between them that Elena would invite her in.

Once the door closes, the tears begin to escape her eyes.

* * *

"I don't-I don't know what to do." Elena admits with teary eyes, and Caroline nods. There's a knock on the door as Caroline checks the clock. Nineteen hours left for Elena to make a choice. Caroline rises from the couch to answer the door.

"Care, who is it?" Elena asks.

"It's Elijah." She says, and Elena rises from the couch. She knows, she knows she looks like shit but he's seen her dead and she's seen him dead and she decides she doesn't really care if he sees her like this. There might have been a time when she would have, when she would have cared or been embarrassed but that time has passed and it doesn't matter.

"Elena." He greets, he looks surprised to see her breathing, not that she blames him.

"Elijah." She says, and she'd be an idiot not to see the slight movement in his face, he's relieved. She wonders if she's reading too much into it but she's been able to read Elijah for a while now, or at least she thinks she has.

"Come in, Elijah." She remembers that they're not safe from prying eyes or Salvatore brothers if he stands on the doormat.

"Thank you." He says and Caroline explains what Bonnie did, why Elena's invitation was necessary. Caroline's phone rings and she goes upstairs to answer it.

"I don't know what to pick." Elena confesses unnecessarily.

"Forget about everyone. Forget everything. What do _you_ want?" He presses gently, much more gently than he's pushed a large list of people.

"If I die-" She begins, looking to the stairs then back to him.

"If I die, I might see my parents again. I might see Jenna, John and Isobel again. I won't have to worry about anything, I'll just be dead. But-" She trails off.

"I don't know very much about what it's like to be a vampire. A lot of people have died for me to live this long and it might be kind of a slap in the face to them for me not to turn, because it sounds like giving up. I don't know if I want to live forever." Elena says and Elijah nods.

"No one does." He admits, looking human for a moment.

"I'm just worried I won't- I won't be me if I transition." She's seen the transition turn people into something different. Stefan and Damon were once sweet and naive, open and trusting. Katherine was the same and then she turned. She wonders what the Originals were like as humans but doesn't entertain the thought.

"The choices vampires make and things they do determine how they will be in the future. Your friend Caroline is an example of that." Elijah says. Elena decides to be more direct and succinct.

"I'm scared." She confesses quietly.

"I'm scared that if I die then that's it and I'll die never really having lived and everyone will have another funeral to go to and that's it that's all I was, all I'll ever be, just another doomed doppelganger, another dead Gilbert to bury in the family plot." She says, the words come out quickly, it reminds him of a flash flood.

"But if I turn, if I transition, I have to drink blood. I won't be human, I won't have the chance to have children or get married or grow old with someone I'd be married to, I might see everyone I've ever loved die and I've had too many funerals for one lifetime. I don't think I want to die but I think I'm scared of living like that." Elena admits. There are a few tears he's watched race down her cheeks, the flash flood is over now. Elena just seems exhausted.

"It is your choice to make, Elena. Your choice and your choice alone." He reminds her, his voice sounds heavy for some reason. Her phone vibrates but he doesn't think she's noticed, she has several missed calls.

"If I transition, would you help me?" It's probably asking too much, but it feels like he'd be the only one smart enough to offer her a bridge instead of a rope to walk across between lives like one of those tightrope walkers who dared to walk between skyscrapers.

"I would." He confirms. The choice is made, despite the fact neither of them actually say it. Elena lets out a sigh.

"Let's do this." She says.


	23. Birthday Girl

The prompt for this chapter is: A story about a birthday. Written for the week of June 17-25.

AN: I swear I've done a few of these already in different stories but here we go. We're going to call this the Buffy the Vampire Slayer AU I'd never do more than a few thousand words for. For those of you who haven't seen Buffy, I highly recommend it.

Basically the premise of the show is: There's one girl in every generation who gets to fight monsters and the forces of darkness, she's called a Slayer. When she dies another Slayer is called to take the job. Each Slayer has a Watcher, someone who kind of monitors and trains them and keeps them alive as long as possible and help them when they can. When a Slayer dies, a new Watcher is assigned to the New Slayer, it doesn't transfer over. When Watchers die or are found incapable of doing their duty a new one is sent to replace them.

Also in this, the people who raised Elena were her birth parents, I'm not messing with that complicated mess in this one. Also, Sarah, the slight Damon/Alaric in this is for you. The vampires in this are going to be like the ones from TVD though. Also I'll give a shout out to anyone who recognizes where I got the waitress's name from.

Tldr: Elena's basically Buffy and the vampires are from the TVD verse.

* * *

It's ridiculous, but she's killing a vampire on the day before her birthday of all things. Elena just wants to go home, ignore the fact that none of her friends are going to be in town for her birthday tomorrow. Instead she's moving and dodging the vampire's blows, gracefully pinning him to the wall and shoving a stake where she knows his heart is. She holds her breath and he dissipates to dust. It used to be more fun when she was in high school, with her Watcher who was her history teacher. She had her friends, but now they're all in different places in their lives.

Elena's friends are thinking about marriage and kids, and she has to fight the forces of darkness every night. There's only one way this ends though, there's going to be a day she can't fight the monster and she will die. The weight of being a Slayer will pass to another, and she'll see her parents again, her aunt Jenna, her Uncle John and her Aunt Isobel. Her internal reverie is stopped when she hears her phone ring, it's Alaric's ringtone. He wouldn't call this late unless it was an emergency, she answers her phone.

"Alaric?" She asks, and she hears a groan.

"There's a demon in my apartment. Come quickly." There's just a groan and the faint sound of what she can tell is Damon's voice as she hears the phone hit the floor. She runs as fast as she can.

* * *

She knocks but the door is open, it swings into Alaric's apartment and she gasps. Her legs are screaming, but she doesn't pay them any attention. The place is trashed, worse than when Damon threw the biggest party Mystic Falls had seen in decades a few years ago at the Salvatore Boarding House.

At least the reason for that mess was drunk adults, not a demon who slashed most of Alaric up. There's blood and demon skin, feathers from the throw pillows Caroline had given him once and fabric everywhere. Not to mention the giant blue green demon that crushed Alaric's coffee table as it fell dead.

"Alaric." Elena allows herself a few tears and she feels Damon's hand on her shoulder. She smacks his hand away and stares at him.

"Give me one good reason I shouldn't stake you." They both know she can, she could kill anything if she wanted to.

"I killed it just after Ric went down. And Ric isn't dead." Damon says and she shakes her head.

"He's got inch deep gash marks and he's not breathing. He's dead." Alaric ended up being like her guardian, she became the Slayer after her parents died and she lived with Jenna. Then John and Isobel came to visit and they all died in a freak accident. Alaric was all she had left. Now she doesn't even have him, she has nothing. No guidance, no Watcher, and just a lot of monsters to kill.

"I need to-I need to call the Watcher's Council and get a new Watcher." Elena says after a moment. It's hard to say, it's hard to think or even admit aloud, but despite the fact she's living on her own and she's adult, she still needs a Watcher. She sees Alaric's phone near her feet, the screen is cracked and she winces. She let Alaric down and he died. Oh god, Alaric _died._

"He had vampire blood in his system." Damon admits and she moves her head so quickly that he's almost worried she could give herself whiplash.

"What?" She asks, disbelief blatant on her face.

"Yeah, cut his hand while we were trying to build that ikea bookcase over there so I just gave him some of my blood." Damon points, it's just a half destroyed shell of wood at this point. Elena holds Alaric's phone in her hands as she thinks of what Alaric would want them to do.

"You have to take him and go. I have to lie to the Council and tell them he died. If they find out he's a vampire they'll kill you both." Elena says and Damon nods.

"I'll be out of the city in half an hour with him." Damon says and she nods.

"Tell him I love him okay? Make sure he's okay." Her hand closes around Alaric's phone and Damon holds his hand out.

"What are you doing?" Elena asks.

"I need Alaric's phone." Damon says, and she shakes her head.

"You can't make calls or text anyone with this. Unless you want it for the SD card, but the Council monitors all of their phones. I'm surprised they haven't called yet actually." Elena says and he nods.

"I'll take the SD card then after you call the Council on it." Damon says and disappears.

Elena hits the contact labelled as Work, and waits.

"Number?" A crisp English voice inquires and Elena lets out a choked sob.

"I'm the Slayer. This is my Watcher's phone, he's dead. I-" She trails off. Damon has to admit the few theatre classes Elena took in high school paid off.

"What is your location? What killed your watcher?" The calm voice asks questions one after one and she answers them to the best of her ability. It's almost funny, Damon keeps trying to take some of Alaric's weapons and she argues with him in gestures over what stays, as she answers questions.

"There will be a Watcher arriving in the morning. What's your address?" The calm voice asks again and Damon has a bag packed and Alaric over his shoulder. He almost looks sad but Elena knows he doesn't do sad, but Damon opens his mouth anyway.

"Happy birthday, Elena." Damon says and she looks at Alaric's phone.

It's midnight.

"Have a good night." The English voice tells her and she says something similar, her brain is a little scattered at the moment. She turns off the phone and hands Damon Alaric's SD card.

"You can call me, on my phone. The Council doesn't monitor me." Elena sighs and Damon nods.

"We'll call when he wakes up. I need to go by my apartment and then we'll be gone. His will is in his nightstand." Damon says and Elena has to fight the tears that want to escape her eyes. Damon and Alaric are odd in the sense that they're not her friends but they are reliable, and she is the Slayer she shouldn't trust Damon. But he cares about Alaric like she does, she trusts him to help Alaric choose to live as a vampire or die human. She trusts Damon with Alaric.

She watches them leave and lets a few tears escape before she makes she the blinds are closed, and she locks the door. It's too much, it's too much for one night. She'll deal with it tomorrow, she needs to go home and get the blood and dust off. There will be a Watcher at her door bright and early after all.

* * *

She gets up too early for her taste, but she doesn't know when her new Watcher will be there. So Elena makes coffee and breakfast, looks as presentable as she's going to get this early. A knock at the door interrupts her as she takes a sip of coffee. She leaves her coffee in the kitchen and answers the door.

"Elena Gilbert?" The man asks, he's got an accent she can't place, a perfectly tailored suit and intense eyes.

"Who's looking for her?" Elena asks, and there's no surprise on his face.

"Her new Watcher." The man answers smoothly. Elena checks Alaric's phone. There's a text on the screen that she reads for a moment before she tucks the phone back into her pocket..

 _The new Watcher is named Elijah Mikaelson. Code: 537._

"What's your code?" Elena asks. The door may be open but it's not wide enough for him to enter her apartment. There was a slayer a few decades ago who got killed by a former Watcher who went rogue, no way is she letting this guy in without an ID.

"537. Elijah Mikaelson." He gives her an almost grin.

"Nice to meet you Miss Gilbert." He continues and she widens the door and lets him in. He's prettier than most of the Watchers she's seen, but he probably is younger as an active Watcher.

"Do you want coffee?" Elena asks and he shakes his head.

"Did you eat breakfast?" She asks. He shakes his head.

"Good. I need someone to help me go through my former Watcher's apartment and I don't want you to lose your breakfast on his carpet." Elena says. He's supposed to help her be _the_ Slayer but all she wants today is maybe some cupcakes and to organize her weapons again, with the addition of whatever Alaric left her in his will.

"Sounds like fun." Her new Watcher retorts dryly.

"Yeah. Let's go. And if you still have an appetite I'll buy us breakfast." Elena says. Both of them get paid by the Council, the monster killing lifestyle has to have some perks after all.

"Lovely." She hears Elijah mutter sarcastically and she laughs as she turns off her coffee pot.

She gets her bag and jacket from the couch and he watches.

* * *

"That was more disgusting than I thought it would be." He says casually as they walk to her favorite breakfast place. One of the waitresses recognizes her and Elena smiles because she picks a table in her section.

"Most things tend to be. Have you ever done field work before?" She's curious actually, how that works, how Watchers are chosen. He sits across from her in the booth, interested in their surroundings.

"I've done my fair share. There are several factors that go into being chosen to be the Slayer's Watcher. None of which are something I divulge over breakfast in a public place." He says crisply.

"Can I call you Elijah? Alaric and I called each other by first names because it was easier." Elena says as they look at the menu for a moment.

"How are you two doing this morning? What can I get you to drink?" The waitress asks as Elijah looks at her name tag, her name is Anne. Anne is interesting because it seems like she knows Elena and Elena knows her in return. Curious, the Slayer doesn't seem like the overly friendly or social type to him but that might just be her grief. He look at the brunette across from him and the blonde looking at them.

" Not so good, I'm afraid. I'll have coffee and he'll have Earl Gray tea. We'll need a few minutes to look over the menu." Elena says, not unkindly.

"Are you okay? I haven't seen you in here for a while." Anne asks and Elena smiles.

"A lot of business. I found out my uncle died last night." Elena says quietly and Anne lets out a little gasp.

"He was such a nice man. I'm so sorry for your loss. I'll get those drinks for you in just a minute." Anne says and leaves them alone.

"I saved her from a group of vampires. She thinks Alaric was my uncle and only family left. She doesn't know anything. She just thinks I scared off a group of creepy guys and made sure she got home safe. I killed the vampires after I made sure she was home. Anyway, I recommend you try the English fry-up. I'm sure it'll be a nice slice of home for you." Elena says and Elijah looks intrigued. There's a lot to discuss here, but Anne returns with a metal carafe he assumes has coffee because she puts it next to Elena with a mug and puts a similar carafe next to him with a mug as well.

"You're having the usual?" Anne asks Elena and she nods.

"What are you having?" Anne addresses him.

"English fry-up." He answers and Anne nods.

"I'll have that out soon." She smiles and leaves as Elena begins to pour herself another cup of coffee. She adds creamer and sugar and he begins to ask her about her set up in the city. They have several of her dead Watcher's weapons in his car and this a mess already, but she seems fairly unflappable.

"I suppose if there's a good time to say it, this is it. Happy birthday." Elijah says and her eyes widen for a second.

"Wait. The Council probably has files on all of us because they want to know who's on their payroll. You've probably read mine." Elena says and he nods.

"Thank you." Elena is suddenly glad her friends are out of town, it'd be hard to explain that Caroline was a good vampire dating a werewolf while Bonnie's a witch and Damon and Alaric are vampires or dead at the moment-she can't go there right now.

"You're welcome." Elijah says smoothly and their food arrives at their table.

* * *

It's not the worst birthday ever, she's had worse, her eighteenth birthday she was covered in demon blood and had to have Caroline hose it off her in her backyard before she could walk home to Jenna, late to her own surprise party. That demon blood had killed most of Caroline's grass too, which made Elena's skin crawl when she found out about it a few days later.

But she's a few blocks away from her apartment outside a bakery that never closes with a cupcake and a single candle to wish herself happy birthday, sitting outside. She gets matches out of her bag and lights the single candle.

She can almost hear all of the voices that have ever told her, _close your eyes and make a wish, blow all the candles out Elena!_ She gets why everyone's gone but it still sucks. Damon called after she was done with breakfast with Elijah, Ric decided to transition after all. Caroline, Bonnie and Tyler will all be back at different days next week. The cupcake is good, everything from that bakery is good, she's done with her patrols, it's time to go home. It's time to sleep and accept the fact this birthday _sucked._

* * *

She unlocks her door to the sound of shouting, and she freezes for a moment.

"Happy birthday!" She hears the shouts of familiar voices. She looks at her living room full of her friends and her new watcher. She sees Tyler, Caroline, Bonnie, Damon and Ric. Oh no. Alaric. Her eyes immediately go to him and Bonnie shakes her head slightly.

"Finally! Thought you'd never come. Charles and I have been dying to get that cake cut." Damon says, an arm casually draped over Alaric's shoulder.

"It's been forever!" Caroline says as Elena shuts the door and hugs her.

"Bonnie got Alaric a daylight ring. He's going to look different to normal humans for a few more hours. We all wanted to be here for you." Caroline whispers into her ear and she grins.

"Someone cut the damn cake!" Elena says loudly and Damon gets to it.

* * *

"Your friends are interesting. How long have Damon and Charles been a couple?" Elijah asks as he stands near her. Elena chews the piece of cake she just put into her mouth a little longer than needed. Alaric walks over, thank goodness. Elena swallows the bite of cake.

"I heard my name, good things, I hope?" Alaric asks and Elena grins at him.

"How long have you been dating Damon? How long have Caroline and Tyler been an item?" Elijah inquires politely.

"Caroline and Tyler have been together like six years, I think. Damon and I have been dating for about a year. He almost asked that Watcher out, but I asked Damon out before he could." Alaric answers.

"That Watcher was cute. We're gonna miss Ric. He was a really good dude with some great hair." Damon answers and Elena hides her laughter in a bite of cake.

"We should all get together more often. We don't see you guys as much as we should." Elena says and Alaric nods.

"I'm going to go see Caroline and Bonnie." Elena excuses, moving to the kitchen where her best friends are.

Maybe this birthday was good after all.


	24. Cliffhanger

AN: The prompt for this story is: A story that ends on a cliffhanger. Written for the week of June 26- July 2.

Yes, I blatantly stole this idea from the movie Timer but tweaked it. In this timers are in people's wrists from birth, they count down until you meet your soulmate at which point they show 0:00:00:00:00. Set in the future-ish due to the Timers. Also Easter egg of sorts in this one, something mentioned in this fic might become another fic, I am unsure at the moment.

* * *

It's not good, Elena knows as she looks at her wrist. Thirty days and scrap change in hours, minutes, and seconds. Elena has thirty days left before she meets her soulmate and she can't help but feel horribly guilty about it. She loves Matt, she does, they've been together since they started high school. But Matt is not her soulmate, and she hasn't let herself think about the possibilities in years. They promised each other years ago that they wouldn't let their soulmates interfere with what they have, but Elena wants the timer out of her wrist now. Thirty days is long enough to worry her but not enough for her to panic just yet.

"You doing okay, Elena?" Her friend Bonnie asks and she fakes a smile.

"Yeah. Just peachy. It's just this project I'm working on." She lies and Bonnie nods. At least work keeps her busy, there are always deadlines at work that take all of her attention.

* * *

Elijah slides his sleeve up slightly using the conference table and glances at his timer. Twenty nine days, sixteen hours, eighteen minutes, thirty seven seconds. It worries him because he asked Rebekah what hers said as well a few hours ago. Their timers are synchronized. Maybe their soulmates know each other somehow. It's an interesting thought, but one he can't afford to entertain. He covers his wrist again and tries to think of anything but the slight ticking sound coming from his timer.

* * *

It's not comfortable anymore, being with Matt. It's not that their relationship has changed drastically, but they're starting to feel desperate. They haven't actually acknowledged it or said anything about it, but it shows. It's in their kisses, any embrace, any time they're together they know is numbered now, it's starting to feel more real, it's setting in.

"It's not going to happen to us." They say to each other, like a mantra. Maybe if they say it enough times it'll be true, Matt says it like a prayer before they get ready to sleep, fierce with faith and desperation. He loves Elena. He loves Elena more than anything and the idea of loving anyone more or better than that is terrifying, he loves Elena with all he has and he knows she does the same.

He hates the timers, hates the fact they've always known they weren't soulmates. He wonders if they'd always be together in a world without the timers as she kisses him before she leaves for work.

"It's not going to happen to us." The words come out of her throat automatically as she shuts the door, and she tries not to choke on her next breath. It feels like a lie when her lips form the words now, they're harder and harder to say but she loves Matt so much that she can't imagine life without him. Matt is too good, they love each other too much for this to come between him, but lately she's been wondering if that's true. Elena glances at her timer as she starts her car, twenty days and she doesn't look at the rest of the numbers. If she knows it'll just drive her her crazy.

* * *

Twenty days, he looks at his wrist and then something changes, he blinks to make sure he's not going crazy. The timer is down to a few minutes, and his eyes widen. He looks around and back to his timer. The time has moved back to twenty days, like before. He wonders what happened, but with a slow exhale, he resumes eating his lunch. He's heard about that happening to others, soulmates almost change how they're supposed to meet and sometimes run into each other before they're destined to. But apparently his soulmate is not coming to meet him over some excellent Italian food. He makes a mental note to ask Rebekah if she noticed hers speeding up as well. There's nothing to do but continue his lunch, he wishes he could contact his soulmate somehow. He hadn't really thought of dating or being in a relationship before meeting his soulmate, it seemed pointless and impossible with his schedule. When he meets his soulmate, that will be it. No point in having a relationship and then choosing his soulmate over whoever he was dating, it's just cruel to do so.

* * *

She knows she should tell him, but instead she just kisses Matt when she gets home with dinner from one of their favorite restaurants. He's just as desperate to prove he's not going anywhere as she is, and it feels like lying and being torn apart. She wants Matt, she wants their apartment and their Friday night movies with their friends and everything that comes with Matt. There's a but in those feelings though. _But don't you want your soulmate? Do you think you'll really be happy with Matt when you can have the person you're destined to be with?_

"I love you." She tells him between kisses to shut the voice in the back of her head and he nods before they kiss again. They break apart to have dinner and make small talk, but Elena can't help the growing worry that she feels.

* * *

One week and three days, four hours and sixteen minutes, and seventeen seconds. He adjusts the sleeve of his sleep shirt to see the timer better. He rubs his thumb against the timer, watches the seconds disappear as he watches. Ten days, Elijah thinks. Will his soulmate to be happy to see him, to see him after all of these years? Or will his soulmate be with someone else, one of the people who disregards destiny to be with another?

His phone rings, work calls, even though it's an ungodly hour of the morning, there's always deals and money to be made. He answers the phone and attempts to stop thinking about his soulmate.

* * *

Ten days. Caroline and Bonnie ask about it, but Elena can't even admit that she's torn to herself, let alone anyone else.

"Let it go. Matt and I-" Elena always trails off and she knows her friends aren't going to say anything to Matt, but she feels rotten inside, the indecision is eating her alive.

"Let's just get back to work." She always excuses and Bonnie and Caroline look at her with worried eyes.

* * *

Two days. Rebekah and he must be going somewhere together to have their timers counting down the exact same second. Elijah checks his schedule. He and Rebekah will be walking to one of their favorite restaurants to meet their siblings there. He makes a note to tell Klaus they might be late, or with guests. He's met Klaus's soulmate, a pretty blonde named Caroline, and he's known Finn's soulmate Sage for years, but Kol is in the same boat as Rebekah and Elijah. Their timers are all still ticking down. Anticipation seems to be growing in his stomach, like a tumor. He wonders if it'll spread to his nerves and senses eventually. He's going to meet his soulmate in less than forty eight hours.

* * *

She has tears that she cries in her car when she parks at work, she doesn't want to lose Matt. She can't lose Matt. She doesn't want a soulmate, doesn't want anything to do with whoever is supposed to suddenly make her life better, she wants this mess over, done and boxed away. She clocks in late, thankful for waterproof mascara. None of her coworkers say anything.

* * *

He can't sleep. He doesn't sleep very often, he can't run on more than seven hours anymore. Less is better, he runs well on little sleep. But instead of looking at his laptop and checking stocks and deals, he stares at his timer as he stays on his back, comforter strewn halfway on the bed and halfway off.

It's an in between, he's not awake enough to do anything, but he's not tired enough to fall back asleep. Less than thirteen hours, he watches the seconds dissolve minutes and an hour and then another. He wonders if his soulmate will care what he wears, what their first impression of him will be. He wonders what his first impression of his soulmate will be. He wonders if Rebekah is awake wondering the same things.

* * *

Work is over, Matt's taking her to a new art exhibit he heard good things about, and she adjusts the bracelets on her wrists. Two minutes left, years and years of waiting have led to this. Her grip on Matt's hand would usually make him say something, it's too tight to be even close to comfortable, but he's doing the same thing to her hand.

The timers say ten seconds left.

They see the figures appearing from around the corner as beeping starts, from four different timers. Elena looks to see a gorgeous man in a suit and Matt looks up to see a breathtaking blonde woman.

The beeping sounds far away, like it's coming from another source, another place another person but she knows it's all four of them.

Her eyes lock onto the man across from her, the pull to him is so strong and Matt's grip is so tight she's worried they're going to break each other's hands and she wants the man in the suit and she wants Matt.

She's torn down the middle and she knows Matt's in the same position as she is.

She takes a deep breath.


	25. Summer Solstice

AN: The prompt for this chapter is: A story set at the summer solstice. Written for the week of July 3-9. Set at a fictional one day music festival that takes up almost the entire summer solstice. The summer solstice is the longest day of the year with the shortest night. AH AU for Eva. Shout out to missvalover94 for knowing where I got the waitress's name in chapter twenty three!

* * *

"And you're sure we're good? We're here for the longest day of the year and into most of the night and once we get in we can't get back to the car." Elena says and Caroline and Bonnie nod as they exit the car.

"I've triple checked, we have our phones fully charged, wallets, keys, jackets, umbrellas, everything is in our purses and we've already made sure nothing can fall out of them. Let's go grab breakfast before the first band starts playing." Bonnie says and Elena and Caroline agree to that, despite the early hour of the morning there are already a lot of people parking and moving around.

* * *

It is the biggest one day mixed music festival in the area, and they've gone for the last three years together. It still amazes Elena though how much is set up the day before in the giant clearing and how many vendors and businesses sell food during the day. Caroline hands her an iced coffee and a doughnut and Elena grins. She always remembers the festival perfectly, she'll work on her review of it when she gets dropped off at home. There's just something about the solstice and the air, the people and the music that makes it the best day of the year. Even the hottest summers have turned mild for the solstice and the music. It's like magic.

"Come on, the first band is going to start playing soon." Bonnie says and they move closer to where they can hear the music, past the tempting spread of vendors, to the massive, dominating stage.

"Remember, we have to see every band and eat everything from all of the vendors for rating purposes." Elena reminds them and her friends roll their eyes. Elena takes pictures of their food and then puts her phone back in her purse.

"We know." Bonnie says. Elena's coverage of the festival is easily one of the most read articles of the site she writes for when she isn't writing fiction, it brings in a lot of money and people to the site. It's one of the most trusted sites when it comes to the festival actually, the official site actually used her article last year because she sang their praises.

The first band on the stage is perfect for the early morning crowd. It's a girl with an eccentric sound, the songs aren't too fast or slow and it's good, Elena makes a note to look her up when she gets home. The bass replaces the feeling of a heartbeat, she can feel the music and it's a heady feeling. After the first minute she can sing along to the first song and she loves it. This is the best feeling in the world, Elena is absolutely sure. The sound echoes a far distance, it's the reason the festival is so far from the city and other people actually, the sound travels around.

Elena sips at her coffee during a few of the songs and finishes the doughnut quickly. Time doesn't matter here, unless it's the short amount of time between bands that's just perfect enough to get food and then come back to the music. The band with the eccentric sound and female lead singer ends and Elena and her friends race to the food vendors.

* * *

The next people performing are two singers and a DJ. It doesn't look like it would work, Caroline voices her doubt for a moment and then it's erased as they begin. It blends perfectly, and it sounds better than just the DJ playing with their voices. It's good, and Elena gives her food to Bonnie so she can dance.

The beat is good and she notices she's attracted someone's attention and he's singing along to the music and Elena smiles at him. He's attractive, wearing a leather jacket and looks like he's moving to her as the song progresses. He's close but not invading her space which she appreciates. They both know there won't be any possibility of talking over the music, so he sings along and she dances, knowing her friends are nearby. Even if they aren't she knows enough self defense to take down any guy, and she has pepper spray in her pocket just in case. The festival has been very good about making sure no one has been attacked or harmed in the last few years though, the security that most don't recognize do an excellent job. This is a safe space and people, especially the teenagers who come shouldn't have to worry about their safety.

The band ends and she moves and he follows.

"I guess we should introduce ourselves." Elena says and they see Bonnie speaking to a man that looks like the man next to her and Caroline's next to them with a blonde man.

"Elijah Mikaelson." The man next to her says and she likes his voice, but can't place the accent.

"Elena Gilbert." She says simply.

"Those are my brothers, Kol and Klaus." The one talking to Bonnie close to the tables is Kol and the one talking to Caroline.

"Let's interrupt them. I have a mission." Elena says and Elijah grins. Introductions are made and Elena explains the food situation, and the Mikaelson boys are more than willing to help with the food reviews.

"The food here is to die for." Kol says and Elena grins.

"It is." Bonnie agrees, before she takes a bite of her favorite cookie that's only available at a vendor who travels three hours for the festival.

"What's your number? We can take pictures and send them if we're at different places." Elijah says and Elena recites her number and the Mikaelson brothers put it in their phones. Elena's festival rules were strict and in place for a reason, none of them can invite someone they're dating, they have to stay for all of it, and they have to come prepared and in one car. But they're not dating any of these boys, and it might just be for the day. Either way, it's going to be fun.

* * *

It's a twenty minute break around noon between sets, the artists have to eat and set up too, so the girls sit down with the Mikaelson brothers and eat and talk.

"No one move that's the perfect shot right there." Klaus says and Elena grins after she swallows a bite of the best grilled cheese she's ever had.

"Send it please." She requests and Klaus grins back.

"Already done." He says and Elijah asks her how she likes the grilled cheese.

"It's the best thing ever. If I could only eat food from these vendors for the rest of my life I would die happy." Elena declares and the rest of them make noises of agreement or nod. Elena cuts part of her uneaten half and hands it to Elijah who sticks it in his mouth.

"Okay, that's good. I make better though." His eyes are twinkling and Elena shakes her head.

"Nothing can top that." She says and she sees Kol and Klaus shake their heads.

"Despite his boring job, Elijah is the best cook in our family." Kol says.

"We might just have to see about that." Elena says and there's a challenge there that Elijah likes.

"Oh we will." Elijah promises and she smiles at him. Klaus and Caroline are talking about photography and fashion, and Bonnie and Kol are bonding over their love of the food.

* * *

There's a girl belting out a love song with backup vocals and it's amazing, Elena thinks that she sees Caroline kissing Klaus but there are other people who block her view of them and she focuses on dancing with Elijah, it's a slower song and he twirls her as they stay on the outskirts of the crowd, Klaus and Caroline have a better view than they do but it doesn't matter, the music is loud and they can hear perfectly.

The next band is a band Elena's seen a few times in concert, the performance is amazing but they need to work on their presentation. She and Elijah aren't missing anything by hanging back and singing along and dancing like idiots. This is fun and warm, but the night is going to be when it gets wild and the beat takes over anyone and everyone.

There's another round of food and drinks, and it may be a little expensive but they have the money and it is completely worth it. They're going to be full and sweaty at the end when they aren't working off the calories when they're driving home but it doesn't matter, it's the best. Elena sings along to the next singer and Elijah watches her move around and he's glad he let himself get dragged along to this. Klaus and Kol went last year and convinced him to take three days off work for this, the first day was the festival, the next two were for recovery. Elijah had laughed but taken the time off anyway, he realizes his ears are going to hate him after the festival ends. One group gives way to a break then another singer, and it starts to become routine in the best way.

* * *

The food blends together to Elena as she checks texts from the group, the pictures on her phone are all food now, pizza, milkshakes, supreme tater tots, cupcakes, burgers, fries, tacos, hot dogs, and other food she can't identify without the captions that go with it. There's a man singing about choices and love in a somber, deep voice Elena can't help but fall in love with as Elijah asks if she wants to dance again. They sway to the song that grows more upbeat as the sky begins to darken, singing along on the outskirts of the crowd without heartbeats, the steady bass takes over their chests. The break is spent with their group, Kol has been eating all day and Bonnie's genuinely surprised he can eat as much as he does and still look as good as he does although she doesn't voice the second part.

"He works out like a bloody monster." Klaus says and Caroline laughs. Kol is too nice and funny to be even close to a monster.

"He has to with all the things he eats for his food blog." Elijah explains and the girls look less confused. Kol is like Elena, well known for his opinion online for their city actually.

"I've read a few of your posts. You're good." Elena remembers. He's an excellent critic which makes her wonder how good Elijah is at cooking. Elena sees Klaus and Caroline making eyes at each other and Bonnie and Kol are talking about a trip next weekend, he's going to roadtrip down to the city where her favorite bakery vendor is set up, and she tells him that she would love that.

"Your posts have led me to good restaurants for dates, thank you." Elena says and Kol grins.

"How were they?" He asks.

"The dates usually weren't worth it but the food definitely was." Elena tells him and Kol laughs.

"When are you up for showing me your cooking skills?" Elena asks Elijah and he grins.

"Are you free Friday night?" He wonders and she smiles.

"I am." She's single, Elijah's single, she sees no problem with a date on Friday. Elijah gestures for her to move a little closer across the table and she does.

"I think we're all going to end up with dates by the end of the night." He whispers and they look at the others sitting at the table for a second before she whispers back that he's probably right.

"Glad we met you." Klaus says to the girls and they grin.

* * *

The next band is more upbeat, an alternative rock sound that she can't slow dance to but that's fine because it's a good band to help the transition into the night. There's a woman singing background vocals and a man as the lead singer for the first song, but they switch roles depending on the song and it's amazing. The next food run is filled with ice cream and fried food that's bad for them but really good. The next band is a good flavor of alternative and _fast_ and the wind is warm and fast as they move to the music. The band plays as the sun sets and Elena's excited because they're the last band before the DJ's take the night.

The next run is baked goods and flavored ice teas that are the best thing to cool down with.

"We don't have to go see the DJ if you want. We could just stay here." Elena tells Elijah as they sit at one of the tables watching the others dance.

"That sounds good. I don't know how to dance to this music anyway." Elijah says and the next song turns to vocals manipulated between beat drops and twists in the beat. It's beautiful but she wants to sit and enjoy it.

"Are you up for splitting one of those mix platters Kol talked about earlier? I'm starving." Elijah says and Elena grins.

"I'd love that."

* * *

The DJ's bring it and it's a blur of food and music and light and sound, they go all out for the effects at night. It's amazing and they lose themselves in the music, even when they're just sitting at the the table. It's almost the next day when the Solstice Festival ends and even though it's over the food vendors and the booth that sells merch are there until midnight. They buy food that they're going to end up taking home and Elena gets the few food items they haven't tried yet. Bonnie buys way too many cookies and Elena buys too many variations of grilled cheese to be healthy but Caroline buys too many cupcakes so none of them can give each other grief over their bad eating habits.

They walk with plastic bags in hand to the merch table and Elena buys shirts for everyone, it's the least she can do for their help with her reviews. Elena buys a few shirts for herself, she loves them and she loves the festival the most out of their trio anyway.

They all make their way to Caroline's car at their own paces, Bonnie and Caroline give their numbers to Klaus and Kol and Elena tells Elijah that she's too wired from the music to sleep, if he wants to text her.

Her phone says it's about to turn into midnight when he grins and tells her he will.


	26. Nostalgia

AN: The prompt for this chapter was: A story about nostalgia. Written for the week of July 10-16. Strawberry Gatorade and a specific brand of hot chocolate makes me nostalgic. It kind of took longer for this one because I had to get into the right mentality for it. No idea where this went tbh.

* * *

The blonde sits at her table, a small cafe in a busy city, they're easily overlooked.

"How are you?" Caroline doesn't bother with a greeting.

"I'm just a little nostalgic." Elena sighs as she stirs her coffee absentmindedly.

"For what?" Caroline wonders and Elena gives her a rueful smile.

"Our human days before it all-" Elena's voice is only loud enough for Caroline to hear. Caroline nods thoughtfully.

"Sometimes-I miss it too." The blonde confesses. Elena doesn't look surprised at that, and as more people arrive in the coffee shop she looks around.

"Maybe this isn't the place to have this conversation." Caroline says, rising from their table barely big enough to seat them.

"I agree." Elena says, adjusting her scarf and grabbing her coffee.

It's icy out, totally miserable and very few people are in the wooded park, which makes it perfect. Little bursts of snow fly around as the wind gains speed, but they ignore it.

"Do you remember that summer at cheer camp where we only drank a specific color of Gatorade?" Elena asks and Caroline laughs.

"After working on routines and moves for hours that was the best taste in the world." The blonde remembers and Elena smiles.

"I also remember we never touched it ever again." Elena comments and Caroline lets out a smaller laugh.

"I think Bonnie said we drank so much of it that she began to hate it at the end." Caroline says and Elena snorts.

"She probably did."

* * *

Neither of them are sure about the time but know that it doesn't matter, very few things actually are important enough to matter anymore. There was a time though, that everything mattered and every detail had to be perfect. Caroline is still like that sometimes when she plans events, but it's more refined, it's not a need, it's a requirement.

"I remember helping you pick out an outfit for a date with Matt and we took forever to do it." Caroline's voice has slowly progressed to something a little slower, sadder, far away.

"I remember we made s'mores and got drunk and said we were going to run the world and that nothing would ever change." Elena counters, her voice beginning to sound like Caroline's.

"I miss my parents, Care." Elena confesses quietly like it's a sin. It's not a sin, and if it is Elena can't see it like that. She can't see missing her parents with their smiles and her dad making waffles and driving her to school with Jeremy. Elena can't bring herself to tarnish the grainy remnants of memories when they're really all she has left of her parents.

"I miss mine too." Caroline's voice is soft, and tears prick in Elena's eyes,

"Do you think we'll see them again? When it's all over?" At the end of their lives, whenever it is, Elena wants to see them again. Even if there's nothing at the end of life, it's just nothing, she still wants to see them and everyone else she's lost.

"Maybe." Caroline sighs. Snow is starting to form a cold blanket on them so they stand up and move again.

* * *

Bonnie joins them sometimes but she's always busy too as a Regent of a large city. Caroline and Elena will end up staying together for a few days before they part ways again, and then they'll return to their lives. It's their time, just them. No romantic drama, no drama, period. Sometimes it's a long span of time and other times it isn't. They adapt with the times, always have, but there's always going to be a soft spot for their grainy memories of their human days. They've never asked other vampires if they feel the same way, not all vampires had good human days.

Eternity stretches out in front of them but they have each other and it helps.

The lights and streets are very different from when they were growing up, a century of progress will do that. Elena still looks at the changes the world has made with awe and concern. Caroline keeps her moving, to her apartment.

They move Caroline's furniture to see if they can still do moves they tried when they were human and they spend a few days soaked in nostalgia and memories and it's wonderful. It's nice but as Elena waves goodbye and walks to go home, they both know, and they've always known it can't last. Real life calls, real life always calls.

There have been times where Elena's thought about the past alone, angry at how things worked out and came to be, and other times she's sad or nostalgic and most of the time she's just simply fine with it, it's the past for a reason. It's over and passed. There are people she needs closure with though, people she already has closure with, and people she'll never have closure with and with that in mind she dials a familiar number.

* * *

She calls him for the first time in decades, it might have actually been a century but she waits for him to answer.

"Elena." He greets and she's pleased he remembers. He's Elijah, of course he remembers.

"Elijah." She counters and she hears a little laugh.

"It's been a long time." He says and it's her turn to laugh.

"I'm sure it's only been a blink for you." She says and he doesn't deny that it went more quickly for him than it did for her.

"Perhaps." He sighs and wonders why she's calling after so long. They kissed once, a lifetime ago, a human lifetime but a lifetime ago nonetheless.

"Do you want to meet me in Prague?" She wonders and he wonders what she's playing at but agrees to it anyway.

"When?" He inquires and she smiles.

"Three days from now." She begins to make a plan with him.

* * *

He spots her in a blue dress rather quickly but she spotted him with his suit the same time he saw her.

"Are you in trouble?" He wonders and she shakes her head, her hair is different than it was when he saw her last but he likes it.

"I just wanted to see you-and to apologize." She admits truthfully, looking up at him.

"Apologize for what?" He's already forgiven her for whatever she thinks she needs to apologize for. All of his siblings are alive and he's fine.

"I wasn't myself when I had my humanity off. I-" Elena begins and Elijah shakes his head.

"Think nothing of it, lovely Elena." Just like that it's gone, the weight from some of her earliest mistakes, off her shoulders. She remembers what she thought of Elijah when she was human, her diaries are invaluable to remember. She thought he was attractive even then, there was always that tension they never talked about, and she remembers that the last time she saw him he kissed her.

"You changed your hair. I like it." He says and they move closer to each other and she can't resist making a comment even as one of his hands move to her waist.

"Is this our thing?" She teases, and he smirks.

"Do you want it to be?" He counters and she smirks as she kisses him first this time. Apparently, there are all kind of nostalgia, different flavors and tints to it. She's not going to feel nostalgic over Elijah anymore, he's right next to her.


	27. Featuring A Song Or Poem

AN: I had to write this, so you all get to suffer with me. I promise to never do this format again. So this is actually really fun, I do love this story in a way, I'm actually on my first watch of Twin Peaks with 6 episodes to go and I thought this song could fit. I originally picked Laura Palmer by Bastille but the slightly different version they have that's called Falling is better for this fic and I love it.

* * *

She's gone, gone, gone and there's nothing for any of them to try and find. Elena isn't needlessly cruel, if she's gone it's because it's because she thinks it's for the best and Damon isn't the only one who grits his teeth at the thought. There's too much blame and hate that rises to the surface at her disappearance. There are other feelings but none of them focus on the others, they want a scapegoat. Elena, Elena is gone. It may be hot enough to cause most to sweat but Mystic Falls is beginning to feel cold.

 **Walking out into the dark**

 **Cutting out a different path**

Caroline calls her every day for a month, but she doesn't blame her for getting the hell out of Dodge, she knows if Elena thought she'd go with her she might have asked. There's still Tyler and Klaus and her mom- Elena has no romantic attachments, and Jeremy is the tie Ric needs to stay in Mystic Falls for at least one year. Bonnie has her mom and is tangled up with witch things and her mother and a boy issue, the Salvatores are probably what she wanted respite from, and it'd never occur to Elena to ask Matt because he already has a life that's about to get so much better with a football scholarship.

* * *

"Caroline misses my doppelganger." Klaus tells him as he finds the hybrid painting something he can't quite determine yet. The canvas is dark and reminds him of the night Elena left.

" _Elena_ did not belong to anyone and does not belong to anyone. She is not an object, Niklaus." Elijah corrects.

"If she did she would have run away with one of the Salvatores." Klaus mutters and doesn't see Elijah's jaw tick.

"Anyway, she asked me to find the doppelganger with a spell, Bennett is busy. Elena Gilbert is dead or she's cloaked. She didn't show up on any map." _Of course she didn't Niklaus._ Elijah bites his tongue to hold the words back and keeps his face neutral.

"Caroline will want me to do more but I want to finish this painting before we're sent on some ridiculous goose chase." Klaus tells him and he ignores the feeling that's forming in his stomach. He has a deal with Elena, she cannot be found by anyone but him. It took planning and it came at a price but Elena told him she'd pay anything for a little slice of freedom, of a normal life for a little while.

 **Led by your beating heart**

So Elena left, with part of his heart and the things she had packed and the things he gave her. She wanted to be free from the Salvatores and see the world, choosing neither of them made the town whisper and rumors began to spread, not that she really cared.

 **All the people of the town**

 **Cast their eyes right to the ground**

 **In matters of the heart**

It's almost a challenge, to see how far away from home she can get, each mile is beginning to feel like a thrill. In the larger cities she does anything she wants, gets hotel rooms with room service and see the sights. In the smaller towns she tones it down, goes to the local diners and smiles at the locals like it's a completely human world they live in. It's different each little stop, a different but similar different slice of the world. It's not that she doesn't miss her friends and her family, she does, but she's convinced herself she needs this. Maybe she should go back, but she's never gone this far. The driving is one of the best and worst parts of this, it's slowly exhausting but there's always the hole in the wall coffee shops and the coffee chains she always knows her order at. There's always a new thing to explore, and every so often she gets a text on her temporary phone from Elijah. She doesn't ask for updates on Mystic Falls, but they talk about how they are and she tells him about little things, like the salad she had in a little diner that was the best thing ever, or the cup of coffee at the hotel breakfast that tasted like dirt rather than coffee.

 **Found yourself a path upon the ground**

 **You ran into the night you can't be found**

The nights begin to be the hardest thing, she wonders if there are vampires that live just like this, one town to another to another, and endless chain of adventurous ennui. The nights she drives are the ones she has an energy drink in one of her cupholders, or a large coffee. Elena plays her music too loudly to think about anything other than the road, racing through narrow streets and the highway. The nights she lies in beds dozens of other people have slept in are ones she writes or almost calls Elijah but talks herself out of it, she might as well make it to the opposite coast before she drives back to Mystic Falls. It's so odd to feel so lost as she does, even though her GPS and she both know where she is.

 **But this is your heart**

 **Can you feel it? Can you feel it?**

She does miss home though, she misses her family and friends, but it's nice to feel free in a way. No supernatural, no drama, she's alone with her thoughts and ideas. She mails Elijah things sometimes, she mails home a very very old post card from Richmond after Elijah tells her that her loved ones are worried. She doesn't leave an address for them to mail anything back. Elena misses Elijah and his confusing self, she misses seeing Caroline laugh, she misses seeing Bonnie and Jeremy immersed in whatever they're doing, they may not have worked out but they're still so damn similar sometimes. She misses seeing Alaric make coffee in the morning because he always offered her a cup, and she almost even misses the Salvatores and their arguing.

 **Pumps through your veins**

 **Can you feel it? Can you feel it?**

It's a diner that convinces her to make the journey back instead of spending her days in coffee shops thinking about morality and her heart.

"This diner was used for the show Twin Peaks." The older waitress tells her as she pours Elena more coffee, and Elena looks up.

"What was the show about?" Elena wonders, the name sounds familiar, she remembers a flash of nineties phones and trees. Jenna watched it with her mom a long time ago, they're both gone now, she remembers watching part of a episode once.

"Well," The woman begins, it's a slow time and this girl reminds her of one of the characters on the show she might as well tell her instead of asking her to look it up.

"It begins with a girl. Laura Palmer, loved by the entire town of Twin Peaks. She's found dead, and the show revolves around trying to find her killer. Everyone has secrets and so does Laura, they all begin to come out in the search to find the murderer. Everyone complains about the ending of it, but there's a rumor there's supposed to be a new season out soon." The waitress says as Elena looks through the menu again.

"I died once." She admits, it's true and she realizes she has to lie.

"I drowned. I came back, a friend saved me. I was dead for a few minutes." Elena corrects with a lie and the waitress relaxes.

"I recommend the cherry pie." The waitress replies instead of commenting on the odd story, and Elena nods.

"I'll have that." She still hasn't decided on what to eat, other than that. The waitress disappears.

 **Summer evening breezes blew**

 **Drawing voices deep from you**

 **Led by your beating heart**

She visits the places they used to film Twin Peaks at watches it at night, when she finally watches all of it, she decides that she's going to be like Laura Palmer, face the problem head on and run to it. This time it isn't going to mean her death and there are things she ran away from, people and problems she thought she could escape for a while but it didn't work. It's time to go home and fix everything. She calls Elijah as she races down the empty highway, he picks up on the first ring, she hasn't called him since she wanted to leave town.

"Elena? Are you alright?" He asks before she can even say anything and she feels herself relax.

"Elijah. I'm fine. I'm coming back to Mystic Falls." She's spent months away, it's time to be home.

 **What a year and what a night**

 **What terrifying final sights**

 **Put out your beating heart**

It's time to be home and she's running on coffee and cheesecake she ate hours ago in a different state, she's a little too entergetic but Elijah promises to meet her where she asks and she parks. She sees him in her mirror and she kills the engine and gets out. He looks alarmed for a moment she tosses her keys on the seat and doesn't bother shutting the door, and she move to him and he waits.

It's just a hug, she wraps her arms around him tightly, eyes closing as he puts his arms around her.

"I missed you." She confesses quietly in the night air.

"I missed you too." Elena can hear the sincerity of it, and she moves back so suddenly he releases her, worried she wants away. She looks at his face like she's trying to find something and she kisses him, her lips on his and she tastes like coffee and things far away, mixed with something familiar and she tries to speak in between their kisses but it's a little hard to let her go and she decides she might as well just tell him later. She still has his card and the necklace that repelled magic, all of the things he gave her are in the passenger seat.

There will be a time to talk to her friends and apologize, but it was her gap year of sorts, she knows what she wants now and she had time and things she never got to see or have before.


	28. Sunrise

AN: The prompt for this monster of a story is:A story that ends at sunrise. Written for the week of July 24- July 30. Yes this took over every other writing project I had for a long period and I'm sorry but I really hope you all like it.

This is my shameless AH AU, of Stranger Things with a few adjustments. I don't see an of the characters of TVD translating exactly to any of the characters of Stranger Things and this may contain slight spoilers to Stranger Things but it's set in present day, without Eleven. I cannot pull off putting TVD into that universe and I had something else in mind anyway. The science class can be multiple grades and in the first episode, Nancy is studying chemistry after all.

* * *

Her blood runs cold when she hears the news the next day at school. Henrik and Kol Mikaelson are missing. She doesn't really talk to the Mikaelsons, Elijah's a year older and in her chemistry class, Klaus is in her grade but they've never had a class together, Rebekah is in Jeremy and Kol's grade, Henrik is a year younger than Jeremy and Finn graduated last year. Still though, they had just left the Gilbert house from playing video games before they went missing, and they never made it home. Mystic Falls is small, it's safe, Elena feels an irrational flash of fear. She walks to her locker anyway, and Stefan smiles at her as he walks over.

Stefan is on the football team, and she's not really sure how she feels about him but they've been flirting for a few weeks regardless.

"Hey." He says as he reaches her locker.

"Hey." She echoes, she feels like an idiot for not asking the Mikaelson boys if they wanted a ride home, she knows her mother is feeling the exact same as she is. Elena doesn't have a car, but maybe if they- the possibilities are going to drive her crazy. It's Mystic Falls, she can't remember anything bad happening before this.

"What's going on inside that head of yours?" Stefan wonders, there's still a flirty edge to his voice but she's not in the mood to flirt back. Elena's off in space, he wants to bring her back down to Earth.

"Kol and Henrik have gone missing." She says maybe a little too harshly, but she has no idea how he isn't worried.

"Mikaelson? I'm sure they're fine." Stefan says easily, leaning closer as she closes her locker.

"My mom talked to Mrs. Mikaelson this morning. They already have cops on the case and they're probably trying to round up a search party right now." She tells him sharply. Elena sees Elijah pass by as the bell rings, sending them all off to their first hour classes. She doesn't say goodbye to Stefan, and as she makes her way to chemistry, she sees policemen talking to Jeremy right before she reaches the door and her heart drops.

* * *

"Partner up, you have until the end of the hour to complete this, if you do not finish, you will turn in what you have for a grade. Get started." Their science teacher says and she looks at Elijah, sitting next to her.

"Partners?" She asks quietly, and he nods. Usually they're done before everyone else, quick and efficient, but today he's off and so is she.

"I'll do the experiment and tell you what to write down." Elena compromises and he nods as she begins to measure things and calibrate the scale.

She focuses on the science and finds herself talking so Elijah can condense her words and write them down. They don't talk about the night before, or how it's her fault, she should have known, they don't talk about anything. Elena just continues telling him what to write and they work in near silence,

"And that's why nothing happened." Elena finishes quietly, and Elijah writes it down. Their science teacher appears in front of them and they look up.

"Very good, Gilbert, Mikaelson. You're the first ones to get that." Their teacher is very no nonsense, but sometimes Elena thinks they might be his favorites. That doesn't help her mood though, as they mechanically clean up with ten minutes left in class. Elijah hands his composition book in to be graded, and sits back down.

"If you need anything, I'm here." She says quietly and he nods.

"I'm so sorry, I should have made my mom drive them home, I feel so dumb for not even thinking to-" He interrupts her.

"They've gone home on their bikes dozens of times before. You couldn't have known." Elijah says, and she wonders if that's what he's been telling himself.

"I feel like I should have-" Elena's interrupted by her friends. Elijah pretends to be interested in his history book as her friends pull her to their desks for assistance.

* * *

Elena writes to her diary that as bad as she feels she knows Matt, Jeremy and Tyler feel worse, they were the last ones to actually see Kol and Henrik.

"Elena? Honey are you up? I made breakfast!" Her mother calls and she scrambles to hide her diary.

"Yeah! I'll be down in a minute!" She says loudly and she hears her mom walking away.

She makes sure she looks presentable before she walks downstairs to join everyone eating breakfast. Jeremy looks tired, and she knows he was out late last night. Maybe he was looking for his friends, maybe he couldn't sleep, whatever it is she can't blame him for sneaking out and staying up. Her father pours her a cup of coffee and Elena grins and thanks him as he sets it in front of her.

"Can I have one too?" Jeremy asks and three sets of eyebrows shoot up in surprise.

"You hate coffee." Miranda is the first to speak and Jeremy shrugs.

"I don't feel awake." Jeremy excuses and Grayson reluctantly pours him a cup.

* * *

Elijah is quiet next to her as they take notes quietly, their teacher talks at a fast rate and never really slows down. Maybe that's why he coaches track, Elena thinks as she tries to get all of it down. The hours blend together, and Elena wonders if Elijah would respond if she texted him. Elena sits with her friends at lunch and tries to focus on them. Caroline tells her that she's going to pick up something from out of town for her mom after school, and Elena feels worry creeping in again.

"Be careful." She advises before she takes a bite of pizza and Caroline laughs.

"It's an even smaller town than Mystic Falls. I'll be fine. Nothing bad happens around here." Caroline tells her and Elena glances at Bonnie.

"Kol and Henrik Mikaelson are missing. Bad things happen here." Elena tells her and Bonnie shakes her head.

"Bad things happen everywhere." Bonnie corrects and Caroline rolls her eyes at both of them.

"I'm sure they're fine. My mom is working on finding them, they've had search parties out the last few nights, we're going to find them." Caroline says easily.

"How do you join a search party?" Elena asks and Caroline shrugs.

"Ask my mom, I guess." Caroline says, a little uneasily. If Elena really thinks it's that unsafe out there, she shouldn't be trying to join a search party.

"I will." Elena says, and Bonnie shoots a worried look to Caroline that Elena misses.

* * *

Her parents are a little more worried about Jeremy so she walks with a flashlight and pepper spray to the station to meet everyone else who is up for searching the woods.

"Elena?" She hears Sheriff Forbes say, her tone colored with surprise as Elena pockets the flashlight and makes sure the pepper spray is hidden as she forces a smile on her face. It's not a harsh smile, or a smile that ignores what has happened, but it's an attempted smile.

"Here to help." She says almost confidently.

* * *

She texts Jeremy to help her sneak back in, she's not as good at it as he is.

"What were you out doing?" Jeremy asks and she sighs.

"I was looking for them. I was in a search party." Elena says, her voice quiet and rough. She's pretty sure she yelled herself hoarse, she'll know in the morning. Jeremy isn't one for affection, but he wraps her in a short hug, and she looks at him hoping he'll explain.

"I miss them." He says and she closes her eyes for a moment.

"I know. We're going to find them." She says. Elena does not know much about loss but she knows that grief and the feelings can rip anyone to shreds. She doesn't want to admit it, but there's a good possibility they're dead or far away from Mystic Falls, but Elena's clinging to the idea that they could be alive.

"Goodnight, 'Lena." Jeremy says and she smiles, a real smile this time.

"Night, Jer." She says, and his door closes, and after a few seconds, her door closes too.

* * *

"Elena? When did you last see Caroline?" Her mother asks and she looks at her with concern and confusion as she tries to swallow her sip of coffee. She's still waking up.

"Yesterday at school." The words come out quietly, it hurts to speak.

"Oh god." Her mom murmurs and Elena and Jeremy share a look as her mother calls the sheriff back.

"Do you think-" Jeremy wonders and Elena shrugs.

"She was supposed to go out of town to get something for her mom after school. I bet she's blaming herself, poor Sheriff. Forbes." Elena says hoarsely and Jeremy nods. They eat in silence for a few minutes and their mother leaves the room to continue her conversation in private.

"I'll drive you two to school." Their father says and Elena and Jeremy nod.

* * *

She texts Bonnie in the car to ask if she knows anything about where Caroline is and that she lost her voice. Elena has chills when she walks in school and just knows. Caroline is gone too, maybe with the same person, or people who took Henrik and Kol. Stefan stops by her locker but she points to her throat and mouths that she can't speak. He leaves after that, and she's a little relieved. There's too much going on to flirt. Elena walks to chemistry almost in a daze, she almost doesn't remember what to do but she does it anyway, like she's on autopilot. Elijah sits next to her and she looks at him.

"Caroline's missing." She whispers to him and his eyes widen.

The bell rings and their teacher begins promptly, lecturing and asking questions. Usually Elena's hand shoots up regularly, but it isn't today. She and Mikaelson both look like they're not focusing.

"Gilbert. What's the answer?" He asks and she clears her throat.

"Oxygen." She says, her voice reminds her of gravel. The teacher nods, looking at her for a moment before he confirms that she's correct and moves on.

"Project time, get into pairs!" Their teacher announces, Elena wonders what all she missed when she spaced out.

"Partners?" Elijah speaks first to her surprise. She nods and they reverse their roles, he does most of the talking, but like always, it's never about anything other than science until the end. She holds up her composition book and points to the turn in box, and he nods. Elijah waits until she gets back to her seat to speak.

"If you don't mind me asking-how'd you lose your voice?" He asks and she exhales.

"I was in one of the search parties last night, trying to find them." She admits and he looks at her for a moment and Elena thinks he's about to say something but their teacher appears.

"Do either of you know where Forbes is?" He asks and Elena shakes her head.

"She went missing last night." Elena speaks again and their teacher nods.

"Crazy times, kids. Stay safe." He says even though when Elena looks at Elijah, she knows they aren't going to be.

* * *

Bonnie looks solemn and they eat in near silence, Caroline's seat is untouched, Elena feels awful and it's not just her throat. Her phone beeps and she digs through her bag in surprise, Bonnie and Caroline both value their phones too much to text during classes, and the only other people who would text her during the school day would be Jeremy's friends or her family.

 _They found Henrik and Kol's bikes._ It's from Elijah, and a wave of dread goes through her.

Do they know anything else? Is there any news about Caroline? She texts him back and he tells her there's nothing else, it's all he knows. Bonnie pokes her from across the table and Elena looks up at her as Bonnie points. Police officers.

"Bonnie Bennett? Elena Gilbert? We need to ask you a few questions." One of them says and Elena has to try more than once than to swallow the lump in her throat.

* * *

They were asked questions, allowed to have their parents present, but their stories match up because they have nothing to hide-Caroline is their best friend but they aren't covering for her, she didn't go to meet a boy or go to a party, Bonnie and Elena just don't know where she is. Elena's mom offers to take her home after the officers finish asking questions but she shakes her head.

"I don't want to miss anything." She excuses and her mother doesn't look convinced but lets her stay anyway. At least school is sort of distracting, Elena knows if she goes home and lets herself think she'll drive herself crazy. Maybe it's time to make a plan.

* * *

 _Elijah?_ She texts him first after school when she knows the Mikaelsons are all home and waits for a response. She could walk over to his house but he might not be home, and she could go missing too. Elijah has a car and she has a plan.

 _Elena? Do you have any news?_ He responds and waits.

 _No. But I have a plan, and it involves you, if you're up for it._ She says and her phone beeps with his response less than a minute later.

The first forty eight hours are the most important when dealing with missing people and it's been almost 72 hours. Elena waits, her parents aren't home but Jeremy knows she'll be with Elijah, so she'll be fine. She can always use the excuse of homework with Elijah, they are science partners after all. She asks him if the cover story works and he confirms it's fine. Their backpacks are in the backseat as he drives, but homework is the last thing on their minds.

Exploring the woods and where Caroline was supposed to go is something the police are already doing, but maybe they'll find something they won't or at least they'll know they tried.

Elijah picks her up and the flashlights and pepper spray sticking out of her purse don't escape his notice.

"There are a few places we should check." Elijah says in the silence and she nods.

"Finn and I built them a fort when we were younger, out in the woods near our house. There should be hunting cameras in the trees closeby, my father thought he saw a bear once and wanted to keep an eye on the woods."

"Do you think he's checked them lately?" Elena asks, and curses her gravel rough voice. Elijah shakes his head.

"I don't think so." He says as he drives over, a little way past his house.

"I hope you know these woods well." Elena tells him, she doesn't want to be lost in the woods, or worse lost in the woods in the dark.

"I do." He confirms as she gets out of the car, and so does he. Elijah gets out and locks the car, walking with confidence. She knows him but they've never actually spent time together like this, without siblings or homework as their focus.

"Do you think the same people who took them took Caroline?" Elena asks in the quiet, her throat protests in pain when she speaks but she ignores it.

"Maybe. I don't know. We don't know anything." Elijah admits and she nods. They walk in silence, until they see a shape in the distance, a neat cube that Elena assumes is the fort.

"Niklaus helped design it. Rebekah claimed she made it liveable." Elijah says as they walk closer. It's a wooden fort shaped like a cube, tall enough for her to stand in comfortably, with the words _Castle Mikaelson_ neatly declared above the door. Elena walks to the fort and opens the door. There are sleeping bags, some outdoor gear, but neither of the boys, no evidence of anyone being there for the last few days, Elena can see Rebekah's slight touches in this place, the paint, and little details make it less of a box of wood and metal and more like a comfortable space. But there's nothing, there's nothing worth mentioning, and she leaves the fort to see what Elijah's gotten from the cameras.

"Elena, I found something on these. This one is the clearest." Elijah holds up a camera and she walks to him, curious.

"These are motion activated. Here's last week. Two rabbits, a squirrel, nothing exciting. This is the night they left your house." Elijah says and presses a button. Two running figures, the hair looks like his siblings. It's still hard to say that it's Kol and Henrik for sure, it is night on the camera, and it's a small screen.

"Did you look past that?" Elena wonders and he shakes his head.

"Keep playing. They might come back." Elena says and he nods. They look at the next photos, the boys disappear and her blood runs cold when they see something inhuman. Something in her knows it's not right, a flash of cold fear runs through her, and she gets goosebumps despite the layers she's wearing to keep out the winter cold.

"Is that shape-is that human?" She hears herself ask and Elijah looks at her.

"I'll take the memory cards out and see if we can clean the photos up on my laptop." He says, he's not sure who or what are the subjects of those pictures, honestly.

"It could be just a costume." He says instead of any of the other things he should say, and there's a bad feeling that begins to grow in her stomach as Elijah replaces the memory cards with new ones and puts the cameras back in place.

* * *

They wander in the direction the cameras suggested the boys went, but when it gets dark, Elena tells him that maybe they should go back to his house, and his stomach growls in agreement.

"Was that your stomach?" It's a little easier to talk after she hasn't for a while and she sees Elijah nod.

"Catch." She says and tosses him a granola bar. He does catch it, and he looks at her with interest before he unwraps it.

"What do you not have in your purse?" He wonders and she lets out a laugh.

"Nail polish, earrings and a change of clothes." She decides after a moment, she likes being prepared. Elijah laughs too, but they're both aware of the darkness pressing in, and neither of them make too much noise doing anything until they're back in his car. Elena lets out a breath she didn't know she had been holding, and she texts her mom to tell her that she's with Elijah in case Jeremy didn't tell her, they're studying at his house, but they might go and catch dinner but she promises they'll be safe and she has her pepper spray and he'll drive her home. Her mother tells her that's fine, and she glances at Elijah.

"Do you want to go investigate that town and grab dinner there? I'm starving." She says and he nods, stopping at a stop sign. He pulls his phone out of his pocket to send a few texts, slips it back into his pocket and resumes driving.

Elena looks out the window and watches familiar houses disappear and she notices a red car.

"That looks like Stefan's car." She says as the car passes them and Elijah raises an eyebrow.

"Salvatore. Stefan Salvatore of the football team, wide receiver or whatever position it is he plays." Elena explains, it still hurts to talk but Elijah's worth it. He nods.

"It could have been." He doesn't ask if it matters or if she likes Stefan because even if she doesn't like Stefan, they're just chemistry partners, not really friends, and certainly not confidants. They're like allies perhaps, working to deal with their brothers and their friends, and chemistry together. Elena turns the radio up and they listen in almost comfortable silence as they approach the town.

"Turn here." Elena says and Elijah shakes his head.

"That's a complicated way to get to town." He says and she sighs.

"Alright." He's the one who can drive, she trusts that he probably does know better than she does. There's anticipation there, they probably should have gone to his house and checked out the photos, but they're already in town.

Elena spots the police cars and she hears Elijah say something.

"I'm sorry, what?" She asks and he repeats himself.

"There's a diner over here if you wanted to do that for dinner. They have good shakes. Rebekah loves them."

"Yeah. That sounds good." It's just dinner with Elijah as they investigate Caroline's disappearance. This isn't a date, they've eaten together before, but this is different somehow. Everything feels different somehow, like the entire world moved everything an inch to the left and it's not quite right. When she closes her eyes for too long she sees the blurry shape simply wasn't human on the hunting camera. She hides her shiver well when he parks and they get out of the car.

* * *

Dinner is burgers and milkshakes, safe topics of school and teachers with literature thrown in. Elena suggests that they drive around the town and then go to his house to look at the pictures.

"Sounds good." Elijah says and adjusts the heat, it's gotten colder outside since they ate dinner, and she smiles at him, the warmth feels nice. There's nothing unusual around town other than the police officers, but they're looking for Caroline too. Elijah begins to think of how to best get out of town when Elena looks at him.

"Let's just go the complicated way. It's closer and there aren't any stops on the way back home." She suggests and he nods, she coughs, her throat still hurts and the milkshake she had at the diner probably didn't help.

It's a long stretch of road with a few twists and curves, but it takes the same amount of time as the other way does, Elena can't help but look to the trees as they blur by, and it's a few minutes of songs on the radio before they both freeze.

"Stop, stop, that's Caroline's car." Elena demands and he pulls off to the side like the crashed car is, a stone's throw away from it to be safe. Elena's unbuckling her seatbelt and has her purse over her shoulder before he can say anything, the passenger door is open and she's out. He keeps the car unlocked and running as he follows her, she's running to the silver Charger. Caroline isn't in it, and she can see Elijah out of the corner of her eye and she paces around the car, careful not to touch it.

"The driver's side door isn't closed all the way." He notes and Elena shines a flashlight through the windows.

"There's blood, Elijah, oh my god. Oh god, Caroline." Elena stares like the dried blood will tell her where Caroline is and they can't touch the car, but she wants to.

Something feels wrong here, and Elena begins to speak when she and Elijah both see something out of the corner of their eyes, it could have just been a shadow, but either way, Elijah rushes them back into the car, and when the doors are shut he locks them. Maybe it's just the fact it's night and they're both a little freaked out and paranoid, but he begins to drive, and Elena look at him.

"If they're in town they'll find the car soon." She says and he nods.

"Yeah." He agrees, this is too far in, they should call the police, and Elena tells him if they don't find it by the next morning, she'll call the tip line. They both know that if they admit to knowing about the car before the police did they could be in a lot of trouble, and Elijah exhales.

"We're just going to look at those photos and then do that chem worksheet and I'll drive you home." Elijah says firmly and she nods, dazed.

"Yeah." Elena hears herself say.

* * *

Elijah hooks up a few things to his laptop and she gets her homework out as she waits.

"I'm going to clean the photos up, they're a little dark and don't have much contrast." He tells her and she waits, but her mind can't focus on the printed words and numbers of their chemistry homework and she peeks at the laptop.

"Oh god." She says, the picture they saw of the thing, it's worse than she thought. The neck and limbs are too large to be human, it would look comical if it wasn't so frightening. The whatever the hell it is, it's not human, the fingers are long, too long to be practical on a human, especially a human using special effects products. There's an outline of the boys and the gangly creature after them, and she looks at Elijah briefly before he quickly works through the other pictures. There's a moment of silence before she comes out and says it.

"What the fuck is that?" She asks and Elijah shrugs, trying to hold on to any semblance of calm. It can't be a monster, it simply cannot. Maybe someone is playing a joke and they planted the pictures in the SD cards for fun, Elena thinks, but if the Mikaelsons are the only ones who knew the cameras were there-she has to say something.

"I don't think special effects can be that durable while chasing something." Elena says in the silence, studying the picture.

Elijah shifts slightly as he adjusts the pictures and Elena watches him for a moment. She wants to say something else but she doesn't. Her phone rings and she answers it.

"Hey mom." Elijah hears her say and she gets up to pace.

"Yeah-yeah I'll be home soon, we're on the last few problems of the homework." Elena lies and Elijah looks up, like he just remembered it's a Thursday night, they have school tomorrow, it's been four days since he's seen two of his brothers. It all comes rushing back to both of them and once Elena gets off the phone, she lets out a long sigh.

"Maybe we just need some sleep, it's been a long day, maybe we're just- maybe this has just been getting to us. We're worthless to them if we jump to conclusions or-" Elijah trails off and Elena nods. Maybe he's okay with pretending for the night, whatever helps him sleep- but Elena can't fault him for his reasoning.

"Let's just do the chem and you can drive me home." Elena says and he closes his laptop, and they struggle through what should be a piece of cake, their minds aren't on the laws of chemistry.

* * *

It's silent as he drives her home, and as she gets out of the car, he opens his mouth.

"Stay safe." He says, his voice is intense for a moment and Elena blinks, surprised.

"You too." She says, in a hushed tone. She wants to go to bed and drink tea with honey and write about her day to her diary because it's been a lot to take in. Elena shuts the door and he doesn't leave her driveway until she's in her house with the door closed.

* * *

Elena wakes up too early, with a heaving chest and fading panic. She couldn't remember what the dream-or rather, the nightmare was even about. It's too early in the morning for anyone to be awake, and she focuses on steadying her breathing. She knows she and Elijah need to figure out if those photos were faked or not but she's torn over it. It could be fake, but it could also be real. She and Elijah barely finished their chemistry homework and she swears when she realizes she didn't do the rest of her homework. Glancing at her clock she knows she has more than enough time to get it done and she's too awake to go back to sleep. Clearly, Friday is off to a great start.

* * *

She's more energetic than usual, she can't tell if it's the coffee plus the sleep deprivation but she wants to see if Elijah has plans after school.

"Hey." She hears someone say as she grabs one of her textbooks from her locker.

"Hey." Elena says, looking over to see Stefan Salvatore. He shifts his weight and opens his mouth.

"Hey are you going out with Elijah?" He asks and she shakes her head.

"Mikaelson? No." She says, they're just chem partners and trying to find hsi brothers and Caroline. Stefan relaxes and flashes a grin.

"Good, I was a little worried because I saw you two yesterday and-"

"We were doing chem homework and got dinner. It's not a big deal. We're just friends." Elena says and Stefan nods.

"Cool. See you around, Elena." He's not going to ask her out just yet, but it's good to know she's single.

* * *

"The pair that this fills out the blank periodic table first with accuracy gets extra credit." Their teacher says and someone raises their hand.

"How much extra credit?" The girl asks and their teacher grins.

"It depends on how quickly you finish. Go." He says and Elena takes the paper from Elijah and fills it out, the few times she gets stuck he tells her what to write and he raises his hand as Elena fills out the last row.

"Nicely done." Their teacher says and they thank him, he leaves their table to see how the other students are doing.

"Are you busy after school?" Elena asks and he shakes his head.

"No." Elijah admits and slowly exhales.

"Let's check the cameras again. It could have just been a prank." She suggests and Elijah bites his tongue. There are a lot of things that don't add up about the things they found the night before.

"Okay." He gives in because he's curious too and they're safer doing whatever they're doing together rather than being alone.

"Cool." She says and he nods.

"How's your throat?" It's good to hear her voice almost back to normal.

"Good. It's good." She says and they begin to quietly make plans for the night.

* * *

"Hey mom? I'm going to study with Elijah tonight." Elena says and she knows how it sounds.

"Are you and Elijah-" Her mother begins and Elena cuts her off.

"No. We're just chemistry partners." She says and she hears her mother agree to it.

"Hey, before you hang up, I'd rather you hear it from me than anyone else. They found Caroline's car. There was blood, and it was crashed into a tree. They think she swerved to avoid a deer or something in the road." Her mother tells her and Elena swallows.

"But have they found her? Have they found her or her body?" No one's sure if Caroline and the boys are even alive but Elena refuses to think one of her best friends is dead. Elena hears her mother sigh.

"Liz wouldn't tell me more but I don't think they did." Her mother says and Elena exhales.

"Love you mom, Elijah's going to pick me up and drop me off at home so don't worry about me. Goodbye" She says.

"Love you too. Goodbye." Her mother ends the call as Elena sees Elijah park in their driveway.

* * *

"Do you-" Elena fidgets with her purse and Elijah glances at her.

"Do I what?" He asks carefully.

"Do you think they're dead?" He doesn't need clarification on who she means. The radio plays ads for a car dealership, and the moment of silence feels longer than it is.

"I don't know." He admits after he thinks about it. There are too many different thoughts he has on all of this, but that's all he knows for sure. He just doesn't know.

"Me either." Elena confesses and he parks in his driveway.

"I figured you could leave your backpack here and I could get the SD cards and my laptop." He says and she nods. The door opens and she sees Klaus, looking at her with suspicion but he moves out of the doorway.

"Hey, when I was on the phone with my mom, she told me the police found Caroline's car." Elena tells Elijah as she follows him up the stairs and Klaus follows them up.

"Where?" He asks and she's actually never seen him so interested in something.

"The town over, she was supposed to grab something for her mom after school but she never came back. It looks like she crashed into a tree."

"But did they find Caroline?" Klaus presses and Elena shakes her head.

"I don't know more than that, I'm sorry." Elena says and Klaus nods. She holds back the fact there's a search party looking for her, Elijah has already lost two brothers to whoever or whatever is taking people. She's not going to let him lose anyone else, the town is not going to lose anyone else.

But the interest she somehow missed that Klaus has in Caroline-it's new information and when they're out of the house Elena's going to ask Elijah about it. It's not new to be in Elijah's room, but it's odd to leave it for the woods-usually they're at his desk studying or with papers spread over his floor talking only about chemistry. She sets her backpack down but keeps her purse on her shoulder, and watches him get his laptop bag before he leaves the room and she follows.

* * *

"How long has Klaus liked Caroline?" Elena asks as he looks at the photos on the SD cards.

"A few months, I think. Judging by the behavior I've seen- I'd say the feelings are mutual." Elijah says almost absentmindedly, the pictures are odd, there's only a few on each camera. Usually there's more activity at night, but there's nothing of the long limbed inhuman form they saw on the cameras. Elena takes that information in without saying anything, when this is over she's going to have to think about how she missed that, but not right now.

"Maybe it was just a prank." Elijah sighs and Elena stares at the cameras as if they'll tell their secrets to her. This isn't how she envisioned her Friday night going a week ago, but there's still something or someone out to get people in Mystic Falls.

"Maybe." Elena agrees reluctantly and they sit there for a while, sifting through pictures in his car, before he decides it's time to put the SD cards back in. The sun is setting, and she helps Elijah put the cameras back up, and before they're aware of it, the sun has set.

"I'll turn on the headlights." Elijah says and he disappears for a moment to do so. It's easier to see everything, and she hears a twig breaking but she assumes it's Elijah. There's a hiss and she looks at him. She has the car keys, he doesn't want to drop them and never find them again in the dark.

"Are you okay? Was that you?" Elena asks and he shakes his head.

"I thought that was you." Elijah says and her eyes widen.

"Maybe it's just a snake." He excuses and she's like to think that actually but a snake probably wouldn't be out at night in winter. There's a shape too far away for the headlights to catch but Elena thinks it might be a tree, she slides the last SD card back into the last hunting camera and as Elijah puts the last camera in place, something hisses very loudly, and they look up. It's close to Elijah, hand extending to him. It's the creature, and it's definitely not special effects, it's real and alive and hideous in the headlights. Elena has no idea how she screams at Elijah but she does.

"Elijah!" She shouts and he moves away from it, and she pulls pepper spray out of her purse.

"Cover your eyes!" She warns Elijah, the thing is leaning over him and she sprays at its face, the first time either of them have seen its face. It just looks like a grotesque folded up napkin made of flesh and put on an oversized head for a too stretched out body, pepper spray probably isn't that effective but it recoils and she tells Elijah to run, he throws himself into the backseat as she takes the car out of park and drives. Elijah pulls the door shut and she drives out of the woods.

The creature follows them for a while until they leave the woods, Elijah watches it retreat into the shadows. Elena's a better driver than he thought she'd be, she doesn't have a car yet and he assumed she didn't know how to drive.

"Oh my god." He hears Elena say and nods. He texts his siblings to make sure none of them go into the woods at night, they haven't seen that thing in daylight yet, maybe it only comes out at night.

"It's real." Is all he can say at the moment. He sighs and her mind is working a million miles an hour but somehow she still remembers to stop at a stop sign.

"Yeah." She confirms and begins to drive back to his house, it's starting to get late, and she doesn't know what else to do.

She parks his car in the driveway, and grabs her purse from the passenger seat as he gets out too. They're wordless as she hands him the keys and locks the car. They pass his siblings as they go up the stairs to his room, but when his door closes they let their shock show.

"That was a monster." Elena says and Elijah nods and swallows.

"We don't know if it took them or not." Elijah says and Elena nods, he's right but there's too much they don't know.

"I think we should kill it." Elijah says and Elena looks at him with wide eyes.

"Do we even know how to kill it? I mean pepper spray didn't do anything and it almost got you and I-" Elena stops herself, and looks at his face. He's serious, Elijah's serious often but he looks so sure.

"You don't have to come with me. I could-" Elena cuts him off.

"Don't be an idiot. We've been in this together, we're going to hunt and kill this thing together. If you go out alone it'll get you too or kill you and I-I can't let that happen." Elena tells him and they let that sink in for a moment.

"So we're going monster hunting tomorrow?" Elijah asks and Elena nods.

"Yeah. Yeah we are." She confirms as her phone buzzes.

"Do you mind dropping me off at home? My parents are probably-" Elena says.

"Yeah, yeah of course." Elijah says and she gets her things together.

* * *

Elijah waits and only drives away when he sees Elena with her mother closing the door. There's a lot to think about on the drive back home. When he's getting ready for bed, he can still see that creature when he closes his eyes, and his laptop beeps at him, interrupting his thoughts. A Skype call, he answers it. Elena's face appears on his laptop and he lets out a sigh of relief.

* * *

"So far we have bear traps, lighter fluid, metal spikes, a lighter, flashlights, pepper spray, a hunting rifle, ammo, a net, the tracker, and two pocket knives." Elena says as they look at his trunk.

"All we can do now is wait." Elijah says and Elena swallows. She's never been quite so anxious for a sunset before.

"We just have to make sure everyone stays inside tonight." Elijah says and she texts Jeremy.

"Yeah." She confirms.

* * *

It's an odd feeling, sitting in his car waiting for a monster, but they see a flash of light and Elena gets out of the car.  
"Stop!" Elena shouts and she sees more lights, and the sound of young voices.

"Elena?" A familiar voice calls and she walks to it. She's fairly sure the faceless thing can't speak or mimic voices.

"Jeremy?" She calls and there's a group of boys on bikes almost surrounding her when she blinks. It's Jeremy, Matt and Tyler on their bikes, staring at her and then to Elijah with curious eyes.

"Why are you out here?" Elena wonders and Jeremy arches an eyebrow.

"What are you doing out here with Elijah Mikaelson?" Jeremy wonders and Elena sighs.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Elena says and Tyler snorts.

"Try us." He says and Jeremy and Matt nod in agreement.

"As insane as it sounds, we're monster hunting." Elijah says, and she wonders when he started walking toward them but lets it go.

"Does it have a face?" Matt asks and Elena and Elijah shake their heads.

"You guys have seen it too?" Tyler asks and they nod.

"Yeah. We're hoping that if we can get this tracker into it and follow it back to where it lives." Elijah explains.

"There's a chance Kol, Henrik and Caroline are still alive." Elena says.

"We're in." Jeremy says and Elena shakes her head.

"No way." She says firmly.

"You can't force me to-"

"Shut up. Do you hear that?" Matt whispers loudly and silence drapes itself over them like a heavy blanket. The woods are practically silent except for the sound of hissing.

"Drop your bikes and get into my car." Elijah commands, sounding like an adult. Tyler looks like he's considering disagreeing but Jeremy practically drags him off the bike and Elena hands Elijah the tracker and she makes sure he has the sharper knife. If they can get it in and run away, they can track it. They have about twelve hours to do this, before it disappears with the sunrise. The doors slam shut and Elena shines her flashlight on an impossibly stretched out limb, the creature hisses a roar and she sprays pepper spray at it as Elijah stabs it and shoves the tracker in with his fingers as far as it can go. Elena runs with him and he makes it into the driver's seat as it lets out an unearthly screech. Elijah hits the gas so quickly that a litany of swears come out of the backseat, the boys didn't think to buckle their seat belts.

"Okay. There aren't any search parties in the woods near us tonight. Once it's still for more than a few minutes that should be where we need to track it to and set up the traps." Elena says more to Elijah than anyone else.

"We can help." Matt offers. Jeremy had no idea his sister was so badass, he's going to take a few moments to let that sink in.

"You've done enough. We should get you home." Elijah says and the boys in the back all begin talking at once.

"He's our friend too-"

"Our bikes-"

"Not the boss of us-" It's hard to discern who says what.

"We don't want you guys getting hurt." Elena says and Jeremy speaks this time.

"I don't want you getting hurt either, Elena." Jeremy says.

"I'll be fine." Elena dismisses.

It's a few more minutes of arguing before they give in, the tracker has been completely still for the last few minutes and Elijah looks at his phone. Ten hours to go.

* * *

It's nine hours left until sunrise when the car is parked as close as they can get and Elijah pops the trunk. He and Elena get two heavy looking backpacks and then there's miscellaneous items left, a spray bottle, and a few baseball bats.

"Baseball bats?" Elena asks.

"Kol was going to try out for the baseball team this spring." Elijah shrugs.

"He will." Jeremy corrects. Elena holds Elijah's phone, it's got the tracking device synced with it.

"Let's keep moving, we've got a lot to do before sunrise." She says and the boys follow her.

"Is there any chance that thing could have gotten the tracker out?" Tyler wonders and Elijah shrugs.

"Hopefully not." He says and Jeremy and Tyler roll their eyes, because that's reassuring.

* * *

"Here. This tree." Elena points and they begin to set up, the spikes in the ground, the bear traps, the gun is with Elijah, Jeremy and Matt help her set up the net and there's lighter fluid around the tree just in case.

"Fuck." Jeremy says and Elena rolls her eyes.

"Language." She says and Jeremy asks if she has a bandaid or something, he just cut his finger on one of the spikes.

There's a hissing noise, and they move from the tree, all at different angles. The creature comes out, and it screeches as it finds the spikes in the ground, it crouches only to have its hands caught in bear traps.

"Net." Elijah says and Elena cuts the rope to release it, and they all stare at the monster for a few minutes. It doesn't bleed red, it bleeds thick black that reminds Elena of tar. Elijah shoots it twice, and more oozes out, slowly, like tar.

"Right. Stay here." Elena says and she enters the tree. Of course the boys don't listen, but Elijah's right behind her as she enters the gaping hole of the tree.

* * *

The air is different somehow, like it's cleaner but it has a higher content of something harder to breathe, it's tinged with gray. Elena's seen her parents cook with molasses, she's watched it slowly leave the glass bottle and into the mixing bowl, but she never had the patience to watch it all the way through. It feels like that, every move feels slow and warped. It's not the space inside a tree somehow, it's a large space that they can all fit into. There's not a lot of light or heat and Jeremy and Matt turn on their flashlights. It's dirty and bloody and there's the glimmer of dried blood on bones, animal bones Elijah recognizes. They can see their breath as they inhale and exhale, but none of them waste energy pointing it out.

There's three cocoons that it takes them forever to reach, it's not that far away it just feels like it, the molasses effect, Elena calls it aloud.

"I bet that's them." Jeremy's voice moves slowly and Elena doesn't bother nodding, it'd take too much time. She's the first to reach one of them and she takes a pocketknife out of her purse and carefully feels the cocoon. There's a body underneath, if she pulls at the sticky material she can cut it open without harming whoever or whatever's inside.

"We've got these two." Elijah tells her as he moves his hand out to pinch the cocoon and slice it open. Elena nods this time, and the knife flashes in the dim light and it almost sounds like a sigh as it opens, Caroline falls out and Elena catches her.

"Care? Care? Care can you hear me?" Elena repeats so many times she's not sure how much she says it but Caroline's eyes open and a few tears escape Elena's.

"Lena?" She sounds bone tired, and Elena fights the molasses to look up at Elijah holding Henrik and Jeremy and Tyler cutting Kol free.

* * *

Elena's sure she's aged a thousand years before they get out, but the sky is beginning to grow light, it's almost sunrise when they get outside, back to the real world.

"They're cold." Elena notices it first and she takes her jacket and sweater off and promptly puts them on Caroline, she's shivering.

"That's the monster." Henrik says, looking up and over Elijah's shoulder as he gives Henrik his coat, zipping it up.

"You're killing it." Kol looks at his friends, his brother and Elena for confirmation.

"Yeah." Elijah confirms as he gets a blanket out of the car and drapes it over his two cold brothers. He looks at Elena, speaking quietly to Caroline and trying to get her warm or maybe she's just hugging her because she wants to.

"Let's get them in the car with the heater on." Elena suggests, looking up from Caroline. Elijah nods and they carefully get them in the backseat, trying not to jostle them too much.

"The light is doing something to it." Jeremy notices and they look at it. There's a sound in the distance that sounds like police sirens, and Elijah has a feeling they'll have visitors soon. The wailing draws closer and instead of feeling any of the million other feelings she should be feeling, Elena feels relief. It's almost over.

"What are you kids doing? Your parents are all worried sick about y-" Sheriff Forbes begins and then she sees the monster, the gun still in Elijah's hand and a flash of blonde hair in Elijah's car.

"We found them. We found them." Elena repeats and the sheriff practically rips the door off Elijah's car to get to Caroline.

"I thought you were dead." The sheriff admits as she holds her daughter tightly.

"I'm here, I'm here mom." Caroline says and her mom chokes back a sob. Elijah's the first to turn away, it's a private moment, and there's the sound of sizzling.

"Move back. We all need to move back." Elijah tells them, and the first ray of sunlight that touches the monster ignites it somehow, into flames.

It's sunrise and it's over.

There's going to be a lot of explaining and apologies, but Elena looks at Elijah and thinks that they did well.


	29. Fck You

AN:The prompt for this chapter is: A story opening with the words "F*** you!" Written for the week of July 31- Aug 6.

I know I've been awful about updating, but I just finished my second week of college and I've been trying to juggle college, work, friends, school and occasionally sleep. There's just been a lot going on over here and I really want to get back to updating regularly because I miss it like you guys do. Not sure where this went.

* * *

"Fuck you. Fuck you Stefan." Elena slurs slightly, trying to sit on her couch and talk at the same time. Multitasking while being this drunk is not her strong suit but she keeps talking anyway, she can't let Stefan get a word in.

"You broke my heart you-you dick. Yeah, you're a dick. I loved you and then you left for some road trip and I didn't get it closed-closure and then you came back all cold and mean and you told me you didn't love me anymore and you know what fuck you- I'm over you. I'm over it and I'm over us finally. You fucking suck Stefan." She drags out the last word and waits for Stefan to respond.

"I'm sorry but I'm afraid you have the wrong number." A smooth, calm voice says and through the haze, Elena needs more information. It's been a while but the voice is unfamiliar.

"What?" Elena wonders. It's definitely not Stefan.

"My name is Elijah. You have the wrong number, but I think you should tell whoever you were aiming your anger at what you think. Maybe in the morning though. Drink some water and get some sleep." The person on the other end says and she nods before she realizes they can't see it.

"He must have changed his number. Or maybe I just can't remember the number, numbers anymore." Elena tells the stranger on the other end because she's drunk and she doesn't care, she doesn't care anymore, tonight is letting go of things she shouldn't care about and this won't matter in the future, it's just a wrong damn number. It's just a drunk Friday night, the first in a long time.

"I'm going to check in on you tomorrow, but for now, drink a lot of water and get some rest. Set an alarm for the morning." The stranger, whatever his name says and Elena agrees before she hangs up.

* * *

The sun is shining through the window and she probably should open her eyes but her head feels like someone tried to hit it with a hammer or something, her hand searches her nightstand for her phone but she finds a glass of water instead, and a pill bottle.

"Thank you drunk me." Elena says aloud, and takes the recommended number of little pills and knocks it back with water. Her phone buzzes quietly and Elena thanks her drunk self for turning down the brightness. It's a text from Caroline, who drank way less than her. There's also a text from a number she doesn't recognize, the piece of the text she can read without opening it mentions last night. She taps on Caroline's text as she hears the apartment door open.

"I brought hangover food." Caroline says just loudly enough for Elena to hear as she opens the door to Elena's bedroom.

"Oh thank god." Elena groans and Caroline's quiet giggle makes her groan again.

* * *

"At least you didn't go home with a stranger and have a hangover with them. Could be worse." Caroline says and Elena remembers the text on her phone.

"I drunk dialed Stefan last night but I think I called the wrong number." Elena tells her and Caroline laughs as Elena checks the text on her phone. Caroline selects a cartoon on Netflix for them to watch until they stop feeling like the living dead, Elena's hangover is awful but mercifully much better than it could have been. She drank a lot of water with that reminder from the stranger she called.

 _Good morning, you accidentally called me last night. I hope your hangover isn't vicious and that you're doing well._

Elena shows her phone to Caroline and covers her face with her hands.

"I'm sure he thinks I do that all the time-I have to fix this." Elena decides through the pounding in her head.

"Why bother? It's just some stranger. You'll both forget about it anyway." Caroline says as she hands Elena a container of take out.

 _Thanks. I'm really sorry about that-it's just my last boyfriend was-_ Elena pauses typing and considers how to phrase it. Elena retypes it.

 _Thanks. I'm really sorry about that, but I didn't really get closure with my last boyfriend and I guess that's been on my mind for a while._ Elena sends the text and waits. At least she tried, she thinks as she and Caroline settle into their routine of watching cartoons and curing their hangovers with food and Gatorade and a _lot_ of water. She doesn't check her phone for a few hours, the characters are running away from the villain and she has to keep up with the plot.

* * *

Elena checks her phone when Caroline leaves and grins at her screen.

 _Ah. I don't blame you at all. I was in a similar situation up until very recently. Relationships with no closure are the worst aren't they?_ She thinks of a response.

 _They really are. My name is Elena._ She sends it and waits.

* * *

The man she called is named Elijah and he's very good with dry humor. The area code is local, and after a week of texting she takes a chance.

 _Would you like to go out for coffee sometime?_ She steels her nerves and waits for his response. They're just friends and the worst he can do is say he doesn't drink coffee, she tells herself.

 _I would like that._ Elijah agrees and they set a time in a few days. Elijah's told her about his sort of ex, it wasn't an actual relationship because they weren't officially a couple. Elena told him that those were the worst too because there's no closure to that either, and he agreed. His sort of ex expressed having feelings for him and then there was an awful love triangle thing and then she just disappeared with the other man. No note or goodbye, she changed her number and didn't bother with saying goodbye.

In exchange for his story she tells him hers, all of the gory details about Stefan and how awful it was. When Stefan was gone his brother tried to make a move on her and that just made it even worse, and _it all just sucked_. She's told him about Caroline and her attempts to get her to date and he agrees. He has a sister who's trying to get him back into the dating game but he's not ready either.

* * *

She sits away from the door but close enough that she can see the people coming in. Elijah said he'd be in a suit, blue tie. That takes the elderly man arm in arm with a woman who appears to be his wife in line-red tie. There's only two others in suits, but neither of them have approached her, and she told Elijah she'd be in a purple scarf. She looks at the mother trying to organize her children few tables away, and the quiet few working on laptops or reading books like she is.

"Interesting book. Is this seat taken?" A male voice asks and Elena moves her book away from her face. Handsome face, dark brown eyes and a slight grin on the man's lips. Elena opens her mouth and sees the blue tie.

"Elijah?" She asks.

"Elena?" He counters and she grins.

"Let's go get some coffee." Elena says and he nods.

"That sounds like a fine idea." He says.

* * *

It's nice to have a new friend, it's a feeling Elena had almost forgotten. After college she made work friends, but things have been pretty steady. Everyone already knows her or knows something about her. It's kind of fun to have a new friend actually. She sees Elijah pretty regularly, once or twice a week. She's walking home one day when he calls her. He usually doesn't call, they usually text.

"Elijah? Are you okay?" She speaks before he does and she hears a heavy sigh.

"Elena do you have plans tonight? I know it's Friday and you probably-" Elijah begins to say but she cuts him off.

"I don't, what's going on?" Elena presses.

"I need a drink and a drinking buddy." Elijah admits with another heavy sigh.

"I'll be at your apartment in ten." Elena says and he thanks her.

* * *

"What's going on?" Elena asks once he opens his apartment door. There's a red section of his face but it doesn't look like a slap or forming bruise.

"It was my ex. She was here, baby bump and wedding ring on her finger." Elijah begins slowly and she groans.

"Oh no." Elena mutters and he nods.

"It gets worse. She told me that she "couldn't stop thinking about me" and that she still had feelings for me." Elijah continues and Elena shakes her head.

"What happened?" She wonders and he groans.

"She tried to kiss me and the kiss landed on my cheek. I told her to leave, and that I moved on." He rubs at the red area on his cheek roughly, as if he can get rid of the fact her lips touched his skin.

"Let's go get some drinks." Elena says and Elijah nods. He's quiet as he locks his door and they walk to the bar.

* * *

Elijah's halfway through his first drink and completely done with his first glass of water before he gives her any new information.

"I didn't realize until today that I was completely over her. I think one day I just stopped thinking about her." He admits and she nods.

"How bad was seeing her again?" Elena wonders as she picks up her glass of water. Elijah always makes them both drink more water than alcohol when they drink, which isn't very often.

"She's _married and pregnant._ I don't know why the hell she thought she could come back. I am not a fool nor will I allow anyone, especially her to make me one." Elijah looks tense, he's all rigid lines and angry eyes.

"Are you in the "what if" part of seeing an ex?" Elena asks and the anger disappears as he looks at her with curiosity. He adjusts how he's sitting and she answers the unasked question she knows he's about to ask.

"Let's just say I went through I think almost everything any breakup can have with Stefan. There's different reactions to seeing an ex over time. Are you in the "what if we had kids or got married or did something different" phase?" Elena asks and he shakes his head.

"I think I'm in the "I never want to see her again" phase or the "giving up on love forever" phase." Elijah answers. Elena takes a sip of her wine, unsure if he's going to continue speaking or not.

"What's the point?" Elijah asks and she takes a sip of her drink before she asks what he means.

"Falling in love. There's only three options for every relationship. Either you breakup, you stay together or one of you dies." Elijah clarifies and Elena nods, it's a little late for the bar they're in to be very loud and they're in their own little corner booth, drinking and talking about life and exes.

"I see your point. But thinking that way Elijah-that can be said of all relationships. I think-sometimes love is worth it. Love is complicated and messy and you can end up hating them or yourself. But love can also be the best thing, it's so amazing when it's good and it's so awful when it's bad, but that's only when you're all in. If you aren't into a relationship fully or at all, you don't get hurt as much but you also don't fall as hard." Elena pauses to take a drink and he watches.

"But that's why those relationships end. What's the point of being in love with someone if you're not all in? I think love is at it's best and worst when you're all in. Then-you have everything to gain and everything to lose." Elena tells him and he takes a drink of water. He's silent for a minute and she watches him across the table as she finishes her glass of water.

"Maybe." He says, and she wonders if he'll ever change his mind.

"Can I ask you a favor?" He asks and she nods.

"Mind if I stay at your place tonight? She might come back-" Elijah trails off.

"And you don't want to deal with her." Elena finishes. He nods.

"I wouldn't mind at all. I stayed at Caroline's house all the time when I was trying to avoid Stefan. Did I tell you Caroline's mom is a sheriff? Stefan stayed the hell away from the Forbes house. It was-it was really great." Elena makes a mental note to call Mrs. Forbes and thank her for that.

"That sounds wonderful." Elijah says genuinely and she smiles.

"It really was." Elena nods and they finish their drinks.

* * *

"Why do exes have so much power over us?" Elijah wonders as Elena hands him water and they sit on her couch.

"They have a lot of information. Plus there's the memories and the expectations you had for the relationship and nostalgia makes things seem way better than they were. Nostalgia's a liar but sometimes that's okay. You just have to know it's a liar and go from there." Elena advises as she drinks her own glass of water.

"I thought I was going to marry her someday. Maybe move out to the suburbs and all of those cliches. I just wanted her happy. I wanted to make her happy. I thought after a while, that I could let it go if I thought she was happy." Elijah divulges, Elena know's his tongue has loosened with time and the alcohol helps a little.

"I thought Stefan and I were forever. I had our future thought out, we made plans to go see things the summer before college and he told me he was going to love me forever. I thought I was going to marry him and that we weren't going to be like the other high school couples that didn't make it. Life goes on. Shit happens. He wasn't the one and now he's happy with some girl, married with a kid or one on the way or something. There are things we can't change." Elena tells him as he loosens his tie.

"I know. Do you think you'll find who you want to do those things with?" Elijah wonders and Elena shakes her head.

"I don't want another Stefan. I think expectations should change with each relationship because they're not all the same and neither are the people. I'll meet someone and we'll talk about new things and we'll have new dreams. When or if it happens, it'll be great. But I'm not gonna date everyone in the city until I find that person." Elena answers.

"Does that make sense?" Elijah hasn't responded for a minute.

"Yeah." Elijah confirms.

"I was just lost in thought."

"I hope you packed an extra pair of clothes in that duffle, and not just another suit." Elena says and he laughs.

"I don't own only suits." He tells her and Elena rolls her eyes.

"I'll believe it when I see it." She says and he quirks an eyebrow.

"Are you calling me a liar, lovely Elena?" He wonders and she laughs at his tone.

"I'm not, I just haven't seen any proof." Elena counters and he rolls his eyes.

* * *

They stayed up fairly late, but it's the ringing of his phone that wakes them up from their nice sleep.

"Not my phone. Elijah. Elijah. Get your phone." They're sprawled out on the guest bed and his phone has to be closer to him than it is to her. Elijah answers it as he sits up, looking at Elena.

"Elijah? I miss you and-" His ex begins.

"In the words of a highly valued friend, fuck you." Elijah says and hangs up. Elena giggles, he's so serious at the weirdest moments.

"Do you have a hangover or are we both good?" Elijah asks and she grins.

"I think we're better than good." Elena says and he agrees with her.


	30. Magical Object

The prompt for this story is: A story about a magical object. Written for: Aug 7-13. Shout out to Bastille for releasing Wild World, I wrote most of this to that album.

This story has just the parent drama of season two, Elena isn't with either Salvatore and there's nothing else from season two in this.

* * *

"You're her husband?" The girl asks and Alaric nods.

"And Elena is her daughter." Alaric will let her fill in the blanks herself. Elena and Jeremy are practically his kids anyway, Elena is Isobel's daughter and he's been getting serious with Jenna lately. Of course everything came to an uneasy pause when they found Isobel staked in the woods- he can still remember the shrill sound of Elena's scream as she saw Isobel. They were going out to the woods to practice vampire hunting after all, just in case. Elena hasn't touched a stake since and she's not alone in that. Isobel's former assistant interrupts his thoughts.

"This is all of her stuff. I mean-she was gone off and on, but I never-I guess I just assumed she'd always be back. Your wife was the reason I went into folklore. I'm gonna-" The girl stills and Elena notices her shiny eyes even though Alaric doesn't.

"I'll be just down the hall if you need me." The girl, Vanessa says. Elena finally remembered her name. Elena nods at her and the older girl leaves the room. Alaric seems transfixed on the office, this might be all that's left of Isobel, or at least to their knowledge. Elena stares at the closing door and feels a flash of anger and jealousy- Isobel spent so much more time with that girl than she ever spent with her own daughter. The feelings build in her chest, a rising hot anger that feels like it's going to boil her from the inside out before she takes a deep breath. The same can be said of anything in the room and Alaric. Elena lets the anger go, and focuses on getting Ric to do what they came here for.

"Ric. We need to start boxing this up." She reminds him as she begins to put a cardboard box together, moving the box the way it needs to so she can begin to put things in it. Alaric clears his throat.

"Yeah. Right. You're right." He says and she gives him a sympathetic smile, or what she hopes looks like one. It's only been a week since Isobel died and this is all fresh, but they need to do this.

* * *

A stack of books is put in with folders and papers, another box is finished. Elena's not looking forward to the game of tetris they'll have to play when they try to get this all in her SUV. This is tiring and they're about halfway through but it's still better than letting her mind wander to Isobel. The pain is fresh but it can't stay this sharp and intense forever.

"I'm going to do her desk if that's okay." Elena says and Alaric nods as he carefully works on getting books into boxes. Elena's beginning to wonder if this is her life, lose someone, supernatural drama, get over it and rinse and repeat. There's pens and papers, files, little odd objects, and a box that's rather large for being hidden with her files. There's flashes of Isobel's handwriting that she sees but she keeps moving through the desk. She and Alaric have already decided to just pack up the office and go through it another day. It would just take more time if they went through everything and had to think about it as they packed.

* * *

All of the boxes are getting loaded into her car, all that's left in the office is the furniture, if it's Isobel's or the university's they aren't taking it. They did check, no secret departments or magic spells on any of the furniture, it's just normal. It's still getting what's left of Isobel's things into her car and she still feels awful.

Elena hasn't really had anyone to talk about it with, John loved her years ago and so did Alaric, but their feelings were old, not fresh like hers. Jenna really only thought of Isobel as the tip of the iceberg when they all agreed to tell her about the supernatural, and she wasn't exactly fond of Isobel anyway. Elena looks one last time at the university as Alaric fits the last box in the backseat.

"Ready to go home?" He asks quietly and she nods.

* * *

It's not fun, taking the boxes up to Alaric's apartment, but they do it anyway. Alaric has room at his apartment and they both know Jenna doesn't want to see Isobel's things. It's about lunchtime when they finish, the last box is neatly stacked on top of another one.

"We'll go through this sometime. Just not-not right now." Alaric says and Elena nods.

"I'm going to go home and work on my homework. Bye Alaric." She says and he says goodbye too.

* * *

It's a while before she can even think of going through Isobel's things, and it's a while before it stops hurting so damn much, but she eventually asks Alaric if he's up for it too. She drives over and they sit at his table and open each box and examine the contents. Some of the papers are just worthless, but there are notebooks and journals with her handwriting that Alaric doesn't want but does. There are little things they each want and there are simply ordinary and worthless things they plan to donate or throw away. It's one box, then another, and another, and another.

"This book has something sticking out." Elena says and carefully opens the aging book, with fragile yellowing paper. There's an envelopes she carefully takes out of the book.

"It's for you." She says, it has Alaric's name in Isobel's spidery handwriting. She peers at the book but it's just an old textbook, nothing too exciting. Alaric puts it with his pile of things he wants to keep and they work on, in the grief tinged silence. There's a wooden box that looks vaguely familiar and Alaric hands it to her as he looks at the letter.

The box is older than Alaric but she opens it carefully. On top of the contents is a letter, for her in Isobel's spidery handwriting again. She looks through the rest of the box, there's a smaller box that looks like it could hold a bracelet perhaps and another journal. Elena carefully opens the letter and tries to not get tears on the paper.

 _Elena-_

 _If you're reading this, I'm dead. The ring in the box is for you. I want you to use it, to wear it always. You'll understand why it's important if you opened the box for it already. I'm sorry I wasn't the person you wanted me to be when I knew you. Maybe another life, I might be the mother you want. There are things you need to know, and I have the answers. You might not want to face the truth but there will be a day that you will have to. I've marked the books and flashdrive I leave to you._

 _Love,_

 _Isobel_

It's really not what she was expecting, but she carefully sets the letter down and opens the box that's too big to hold just a ring. The ring is fairly large but not large enough to to be eye catching or be called tacky. Elena's seen wedding rings that were much bigger, but it's a long oval stone set in a silver setting. The stone is clear with a hint of iridescence deeper into it. Elena reads the carefully folded paper that accompanies it, holding the ring in her hand.

The ring has been passed from person to person over the centuries, originally it was spelled by a very powerful with centuries ago to find true love or a soulmate. Someone else added a spell that lets the ring adjust itself to the wearer, Isobel had it and never wore it according to the note. But it should glow when she's around her true love or soulmate, if that's real, and Isobel's note says that she wants her happy, and the ring should make her life much easier. It looks too large, but Elena slips the ring on to her ring finger and feels the metal shrink to her ring size.

She works through the journal in the box wordlessly, Alaric's letter is much longer, and they're there for a reason after all./

Elena ends up with a box of things Isobel wanted her to have and a few other things, including the wooden box. She decides she'll read through them, eventually. Elena just needs time.

* * *

Weeks pass and turn into months, John leaves town one night without a word to anyone and Elena continues to read through the journals and books Isobel insisted were factual. The books paint an interesting picture, the story of the first vampires, the Original vampires. One of them needs her to unleash a suppressed werewolf side, needs her to die. Elena pretends like the idea of that doesn't worry her. It does.

She wears the ring and when people ask, she say it's from her mother. In a perfect world, she'd have too much family to know what to do with, but she has Jeremy, Jenna, John and Alaric left. The ring stays how it was when she first put it on, but she can remember life after she got the ring through the moments she watched it.

The stone is supposed to change in color when she meets her soulmate, and it's not one of the Salvatores. It's not anyone in Mystic Falls. Elena watches her ring during boring parts of her graduation, and Jeremy's. Elena watches as she visits different colleges, it's different places, different people but it starts to feel almost like the same day every city she visits.

* * *

"I'm going to grab coffee. I'll be right back." Elena says, Jeremy wanted to visit this city for an art college and she's been writing a story that has no end in sight off and on. She's trying to pick a college too, and Jenna and Alaric thought they could make it a family trip. There have been supernatural incidences over the years, but it's been quiet since Isobel died, even Katherine disappeared.

"Can you get me a muffin or something?" Jeremy asks and she nods. She's got Jenna and Alaric's orders in her phone, she adds it and tells them she'll be back in a bit.

Out of the hotel room, into an empty elevator and then a rush of noise greets her ears. Mystic Falls has probably never been this busy since it was founded, and Elena's sure this is a normal amount of city noise. Elena watches her ring as she walks through the streets to where she thinks the coffee shop is. She looks at people walking on the sidewalk like she is, wondering if any of them will be the one, if she'll finally meet her soulmate. There's a blonde girl walking by with a dog, her ring stays the same. There's a man in a leather jacket who doesn't look up from his phone, a group of girls with coffee cups in hand, a good sign she's getting closer. Her ring stays the same clear with the hint of something wonderful underneath. She waits at the next crosswalk, makes it over to the next street and checks her phone as a man in a suit walks by. The ring is lit up with a bright rainbow of colors underneath the surface, and she shoves her phone in her pocket.

"Excuse me?" Elena asks, moving quickly to try and catch up with him. Her hand touches his shoulder in her attempt to reach him and he turns.

She glances at her ring, sparkling in a bright shifting rainbow. The man is clean shaven, he looks almost annoyed before he looks at her. Curiosity and something else replace the potential annoyance and she takes a breath.

Another doppelganger, intentionally finding him is an interesting coincidence, she's lovely, older than Tatia and Katerina. Her fast heartbeat isn't fear, it's excitement.

"Hello there." He murmurs as they move out of the way of other people, and she looks at him like she just found a treasure.

"You're my soulmate." She says in an awed voice and he raises an eyebrow.

"My ring changed when I saw you. And it's-" Elena holds up her hand and his mouth opens to finish her sentence.

"Magical. I haven't seen that ring in years." Elijah says and her eyes widen.

"How old are you?" Elena wonders and he lets out a short laugh.

"Older than you might think. My name is Elijah." Elijah answers, and watches her.

"My name is Elena and you're a vampire." Elena says and he's pleasantly surprised.

"We have a lot to discuss." He admits and she smiles at that.

"I have to get coffee first." Elena tells him and he grins at her.

"Let's do that then." He says and she nods. Jenna won't mind if she's a few minutes late coming back, she'll come back with coffee _and_ her soulmate.

The colors shift in the ring and she watches them fascinated, but the vampire next to her is even more fascinating.


	31. Sea

AN: The prompt for this chapter is: A story set at sea. Written for the week of Aug 14-20.

Elena doesn't expect to see him, but she's seen people she's mistaken for him since everyone went their separate ways after Mystic Falls. It's the beach, warm air blowing to give relief from the sweltering heat, and she closes her eyes for a moment. Being a vampire is liberating, and the wind blows in the direction of the man in a suit, back to her, phone to his ear. She opens her eyes and walks over, sand brushing against her sandals. The man seems familiar, but she's thought of Elijah Mikaelson everyone she's seen wearing a suit since she left Mystic Falls.

"Elijah?" She wonders, knowing he'll hear her at the distance of a few feet away if it is him.

"Elena." A familiar voice says warmly, and she sees the phone in his hand flash with an ended call on the screen as he moves to face her. They take in the differences, but they're still almost the same.

"I must confess I did not expect to find you here." Elijah speaks first and she suddenly remembers why she wrote Elijah so much in her past diaries, she finds herself staring at his lips before she responds.

"I've just been wandering around the last few years." Elena tells him and he looks intrigued. She reminds him of sunshine in the yellow dress she's wearing.

"If you don't have plans for tonight, I'd like to hear about it over coffee." Elijah says and Elena gives him a hesitant smile.

"I'd like that." She tells him.

* * *

Coffee evolves into dinner. Any awkwardness Elena was worried about isn't there. He admits that he was worried about it as well, they betrayed each other years ago, he was unsure if she hated him.

"No. Elijah I always understood why you did things. I never hated you, and I've always been thankful our families survived intact." Elena tells him quickly, it's genuine he knows. He tells her what she already knows over an appetizer, he didn't hate her. Elijah gets what he wants, and if he hated her she wouldn't be alive and he wouldn't have asked what she was up to in the last few years. If Elijah wanted her dead, she'd be dead. She doesn't voice that though, and she tells a few stories of the places she's been, Canada, Mexico and the big cities of North America.

There's something in his eyes as he orders wine, a mischievous look that she hasn't seen in years. The waiter pours two glasses and leaves the bottle with them and Elena thanks him before Elijah speaks again.

"What about Asia? Africa? Europe?" He asks and she wonders if she imagines the slight emphasis on the last continent. Elena gracefully shakes her head.

"No. I guess something's just been holding me back. I used to say Jeremy was, but he's not." Jeremy's an adult and he's fine without her, but he's human and she worries about him, that's just the nature of being an older sibling. She voices that and Elijah nods thoughtfully.

"Would you like to go to Europe with me?" Elijah asks and Elena sets her wineglass down, thankful she didn't take a drink yet.

"You're serious?" Her eyebrows scrunch together in confusion.

"Of course. You should see the world and the acquaintance I had planned to take with me had urgent business to attend to." Elijah divulges and she stares at him for a moment. Elena's looked at his eyes before, she looked into his eyes and lied to his face about the champagne and she regrets that. There were other times she looked at his eyes, or they stared at each other, trying to figure out what the other was doing, but he's relaxed. There is no angle that she can find, and she nods.

"If I said yes, when would we leave?" Elena wonders and a smirk pulls at his lips.

"Within thirty days, preferably. I do have business I need to do over there." Elijah says and her train of thought is interrupted by the waiter.

"Thank you." Elena flashes a smile at the waiter and her eyes return to Elijah.

"I'd love to join you." Elena admits honestly, and she thinks a smile might be pulling at his lips, but she's not sure. It's been too long since she's been around Elijah for her to know. Dinner is over and she glances at the table, and Elijah grabs the bill before she can reach for it.

"I insist." He says and she lets him deal with the bill, they talk about their siblings for a few minutes. His family lived together for a few years but they went different ways, they get together every so often but it's not like Mystic Falls. She tells him about Jeremy and how he's been doing all kinds of different art for money, but he likes doing graphic novels the best.

They leave the restaurant, the sun is setting and they have a perfect view of the ocean. Elena lets out a wistful sigh.

"Maybe someday I'll get on a boat and see the ocean." She thinks aloud and Elijah looks at her with interest.

"You've never been out on the ocean?" He wonders and she shakes her head.

"I can fix that too, if you want. The trip could be as short or as long as you want." Elijah offers. Elena looks at him considering it, and takes a breath. He wonders if he's being too transparent, he has been teased over the years for his fondness of Elena, but he's not sure if his siblings or even Elena herself know how deep it runs.

"I'd love that." It's much easier just to be near Elijah when she knows there's nothing at stake, the weight of everything in Mystic Falls is gone. Elijah seems to consider her answer and they walk to the beach, no rush to them.

"It's so much easier to be around you now." Elena voices, and he looks away from the sunset to see if he can understand what she means, if she'll continue speaking.

"There was so much going on in Mystic Falls and you seem a lot more relaxed here." Elena explains and he nods. It's odd to see this relaxed, and if she's not going crazy, _he might be flirting._

"So do you." He points out and she shrugs.

* * *

The wind blows at her dress, moving her hair and Elena closes her eyes. Elijah promised they wouldn't go too far out but it's wonderful. She opens her eyes to watch the water that's constantly moving.

"Ever seen any giant squid crush a boat?" Elena jokes, as she hears him walk to where she is, leaning against the railing. Elijah chuckles at that.

"I have not. Can you see one in the water?" He enjoys their banter, always has but Elena looks so much happier than she did when she was human. It might be partially due to the absence of the Salvatores and other stressful elements, but he loves it when she smiles like that.

"I don't. Are you worried, Captain?" She wonders and he pretends to roll his eyes.

* * *

"I didn't think it was so late." Elena tells him as they begin to see land.

"Neither did I." He admits. That means he wasn't thinking about the time either, she thinks.

"Well you know what they say-time flies when you're having fun. We should do this again before we go to Europe." Elena tells him and a grin pulls at his lips. She can't tell if she's suddenly nervous or if there are butterflies in her stomach. Elijah's looking at her with something she's never seen in his eyes.

"We should." He says and she opens the contacts on her phone.

"Did you change your phone number?" She wonders and he shakes his head.

"Good. Tonight was nice. My number hasn't changed either." Elena says, and they look at the water for a moment, a noisy boat is coming in with a flash of lights. Elena looks at the salty ocean, hoping she'll see it like this again.

"Goodnight, Elijah." She says.

"Goodnight, Elena." He says.


	32. Cursed

AN: Yes I am awful I haven't updated in oh my gods it's been six days goodness. No idea where this went and I also got my dates in order for this fic. So ignore all of the other dates from previous chapters.

The prompt or this chapter is: A story about a curse. Written for the week of Aug 15-Aug 21.

* * *

She almost looks like she's sleeping, like they all have to be quiet so they don't wake her but that's all they want. Elena is on her bed on top of the comforter, and her loved ones are spread throughout the room. He walks in with Alaric, assessing the situation. Alaric wanted to make a deal with him, if he could save Elena. After this is over, he'll mention that he only deals with Elena, but she's stone still.

"How long has she been like this?" Elijah inquires and he feels all of their eyes move to him. He can hear a heartbeat from Elena, they aren't in denial and she isn't dead.

"A few hours, maybe?" Jeremy says uncertainly and Alaric nods.

"I've tried every spell I can think of. I don't know what's wrong or if she'll wake up." Bonnie admits and he nods.

"I'll need to make a few calls, I will call you when I know something." Elijah says and Bonnie blinks and he's gone.

"I told him I'd make a deal with him." Alaric tells the room and Damon shakes his head.

"Are you crazy?" He asks Alaric directly and Alaric rolls his eyes.

"I think that only works for Elena." Jeremy says and the others quietly agree.

* * *

"I have a few grimoires to drop off and a coven that might know of a similar spell." Elijah is succinct as he stands on her porch, aged books in his arms and she wonders why Elena likes him so much.

"Hello to you too." Bonnie mutters and his lips quirk at the corners as she moves out of the threshold to take the thick volumes from Elijah's arms.

"Thanks." Bonnie says awkwardly, suddenly unsure what to say to him.

"You're welcome." Elijah replies, but she's surprised he sounds so genuine. She blinks and he's gone. Damn vampires.

* * *

He's surprised to see her in a dream, but odder things have happened in his dreams.

"Elijah." Elena is looking at him. He takes in his surroundings, they're in Elena's bedroom.

"Elena." He replies, automatically.

"You have to break the curse." She says and he nods.

"We are working on it. I'm working on it with Bonnie, lovely Elena." He tells her and she shakes her head.

"It has to be you." Elena says and he shakes his head.

"How do I lift it?" Elijah inquires and Elena opens her mouth as he's torn out of the dream. It's bright outside, sunshine is pouring in through one of the windows he didn't bother covering the night before. His phone is ringing loudly, and he answers it.

"Did you contact any of the witches you mentioned?" Bonnie asks, and he resists the urge to do anything he wants to do and answers her question. He'll give her the information in an hour, judging by her wording there's nothing in any of the grimoires he gave her last night on the sleeping curse Elena is under. He's about to hang up because neither have them have spoken in a minute before she speaks.

"You were all vikings right? Do you still remember how to translate it? There's a spell in one of them I can't read. It could be nothing but-" Bonnie trails off.

"-but it could also be something." He finishes.

* * *

He delivers another round of grimoires and tells her that none of the covens he's contacted have had success, the spell is rare. Elena's words from his dream echo in his head, he doesn't understand why he has to be the one to break the curse.

"Have you seen anything in your dreams or otherwise?" Elijah inquires and Bonnie shakes her head.

"I thought maybe she'd reach out to one of us or something or that we'd be able to enter her head but we just can't. It's like the spell blocks us from messing with it and her." Bonnie makes a frustrated noise, she doesn't care what Elijah thinks of her because they have to work together for Elena.

He still sees Elena in his dreams that night, he avoids sleep for as long as possible to see if it only occurs at a certain time. He's been tortured like this before, he saw Elena Gilbert while he was daggered in a coffin, the latest time. Elena has always been out of reach, she does not have room in her heart for another vampire suitor, and he cannot allow himself to be so foolish as to fall for her-at least completely. It is not wise, he should not engage in case it is a trap but they're in her bedroom again, she's sitting up in her bed. He's on her window seat, first to break the silence.

"Why do I have to break the curse?" Elijah asks, wondering what Elena knows or if this is his mind's way of trying to remember something deep within his memory banks.

"You're the only one who can." Elena says and he raises an eyebrow.

"But _why_ am I the only one who can break the spell?" Elijah wants to know.

"It's a curse." Elena corrects.

"Why do you know so much? Who did this?" Elijah presses and she shakes her head and lets out a little laugh.

"There isn't a spinning wheel this time and you're asking the wrong questions, Elijah." She drags out his name, and he sighs.

"Then tell me what to ask." He says and Elena smiles.

"You'll know what to do when it's time." She says cryptically and as he tries to rise from the window seat, he's pulled into the world of the awake.

* * *

It's a few hours of skimming grimoires before Bonnie sends him two pictures of the spell she'd been meaning to send and a text about meaning to do homework. He can read most of it but a few words are too pixelated. One of the words means sleep but it isn't a lot to go on. He calls Caroline for more information, Elena always spoke highly of her.

"What happened while I was away?" He asks after she says hello.

"Well, we went to college, some guy wanted to use Elena's blood for some spell but we stopped him. Dude was super obsessed with fairy tales and it was freaky. Damon and Alaric have been spending more time together, my favorite show was canceled and we've just been dealing with some usual stuff other than that." Caroline says easily and the pieces click together.

"Know any more about the man you took down?" He wonders and makes a plan before he gets off the phone with her.

He looks at Elena and brushes his lips against hers. Elijah carefully moves away, and waits to see if Elena will prove his theory.

There's a hand on his tie, gently moving it. Elena is out of the bed and smiling at him.

"It was crooked." She tells him and then presses a kiss to his cheek.

"Ah." He says, unsure what she wants him to say. He kissed her, an idiot cursed her and she's still smiling.

"He told me his plan before he put me under but I couldn't tell you how to break it. Thank you for breaking the curse, by the way." Elena says and he nods.

"If I didn't break it would I have just dreamed of you forever?" He wonders and she shrugs.

"I don't know. I didn't really want to find out. He told me I'd sleep forever because I was pretty. But he also said that it would never be broken because doppelgangers tear brothers apart, and that doppelgangers don't have soulmates. We have to hurry, he's going to go after Caroline next." She tells him.

"Let's go get you some blood and catch ourselves a warlock, lovely Elena." He says and the smile grows.

"Sounds like a plan. But I have to do something first." She tells him very seriously and he wonders what she could possibly need to do and then her lips touch his and he understands.

* * *

"I guess I'm Prince Charming then?" Elijah wonders and she shakes her head.

"The prince doesn't have a name in most versions unless you want to be called Prince Phillip." Elena informs him as they watch the stars.

"Phillip." He drawls, he pulls at each letter like it's taffy, making the name last.

"I like you as Elijah better." Elena tells him and he grins at that.


	33. Century (I'm sorry this is so late)

AN: I know I promised a long chapter but that fic for this prompt spiraled into a multichapter fic I thought I could fit into this, but it's 7k and I'm almost halfway done but I've been working on it for too long for this. So I wrote this instead, I will get back onto a regular posting schedule after December, classes have been killing me lately. I barely have any time to write.

* * *

"Hello there." He says, and his choice of words are a surprise but not his action to sit next to her. The corners of her mouth quirk upwards, but her smile doesn't reveal her teeth. No one pays them any attention.

"I thought our thing was greeting each other with names." Elena says, looking over at the man in a suit. Elijah, so predictable in some ways. He raises an eyebrow at that.

"Our thing? I didn't know you'd called it a _thing_. I thought we were allies." Elijah says as she sips her coffee.

"Allies that kissed once or twice. It all blurs together, it's been a century." Elena jokes and it is true, he kissed her once and then she kissed him another day. They were allies off and on, but they both left Mystic Falls. She left with a new set of fangs and he left with all of his suits and intrigue.

"True." He says, and Elena Gilbert looks the same as the day they parted ways, and he remembers the way her hand moved to his hair as she kissed him. Elena doesn't miss the way his eyes move to her lips, breath catching in her throat for a moment. At least that's the same, despite a century of change and experiences, she thinks.

"What are you up to now?" Elijah inquires and she grins, that's still the same too.

"I've kind of done everything. I write books sometimes." Elena admits.

"Tell me more." Elijah says so she does.

* * *

"I think I've read a few of your books." Elijah tells her and she smiles, and it reaches her eyes.

"So what have you been up to? Influencing the future of suits?" Elena wonders with that damn smile on her face and he wants to kiss her.

"Perhaps." He answers, amusement in his eyes.

"Tease." Elena complain and he smirks. It's nice to know Elijah hasn't entirely changed. His phone beeps from within his suit and she glances at his suit.

"I'm afraid I must go, lovely Elena." Elijah sounds sincere, and she wants to stop him, just for a moment.

"Wait. Here's how to contact me." Elena scribbles neatly onto a napkin and he takes it.

He leaves and Elena watches him, she likes the suits he wore in his human days, but the new ones aren't bad either. Although, Elijah could probably pull off anything. She forgot how intense he could be. Elena wonders if he could ever be that intense about her. They both know they're not neutral about each other. They didn't kiss twice without some amount of feelings involved. With Elijah, there's always a game at play. It's time for her to find out what it is and play.

* * *

"Elijah." She finds him again, on the street. The wind blows her hair away from her face and she grins.

"Elena." He smiles back. Times have changed but there are a few things that haven't.

"We should have dinner together sometime." His tone is matter-of-fact, like the color of the sky. They should, Elena thinks.

"Elijah Mikaelson, are you asking me out on a date?" She says his name slowly, drags it out like he drags hers out.

"I am. Is that a yes?" He wonders and she looks at him.

"It is." She confirms and he looks like he expected her answer. Maybe she's predictable too. Despite the new technology and changes of everything else, maybe they're still the same. Or at least, they're almost the same, and she walks and he follows. They're on a busy street, and she moves to an empty space.

"Elena?" He wonders, looking at her like her face will reveal why she walked to this spot. If Elijah wants to play games, she's up for it. It's time to make a move. She takes a step closer and he doesn't move, he's always been in her space. Another step, another blink of his eyes, and she moves to give herself a little more height and kisses him. His arm wraps around her waist and pulls her closer as she hooks her arm around him to keep her steady. It's careful, it's only their third kiss, but it's been a century. They have some catching up to do.

* * *

"I miss old music. Like from when I was human." Elena complains and Elijah actually laughs, hard and genuine. She rolls her eyes at him.

"Old is relative, Elena." He reminds her as they walk to his apartment. There are much faster ways to get to his apartment, but they like the old way.

"I know." Elena tells him and he opens his door.

"Are you going to tell me why you kissed me on the street?" He wonders and she grins slightly.

"Maybe." She says and he chuckles, Elena's playing a game. He happens to be rather good at playing games and winning them.

"Maybe I just wanted to kiss you." Elena says as she looks at his books.

"Feel free to do that whenever you like." Elijah requests and she grins as she shows him a familiar looking book.

"This is mine. Have you read it?" She found it with his other books and it's under a pseudonym that takes some serious digging to be traced back to her.

"I have. Do you mind signing it?" Elijah wonders. After all, she is an author, and a rather good one. He likes collecting autographed copies and first editions. Even better than that is meeting his favorite authors, but that doesn't always happen. Elena smiles and it makes her so beautiful he pauses for a moment.

Some things takes time and others are just worth waiting for. Elena smiles and he knows they need to talk and figure out where they stand, but it's raining and he's about to make tea as she signs his books. It's familiar but new and it's a good place to pick up where they left off.


	34. Loneliness

The prompt for this story is: A story about loneliness. Written for the week of August 29-Sept 4. I am so sorry about my lack of posting, I've been trying to deal with a lot of things and I'm going to get back on schedule, I promise.

* * *

It's easy to get lost when she doesn't know where she's going. Somehow, it seemed easier to just leave, just escape Mystic Falls and flee to whatever city she's in. It's cold and dark, but the air in the city is a little easier to breathe. No one knows her. No one knows who Elena Gilbert is, no one cares that she's a Petrova doppelganger, no one's interested in her at all. Elena is completely ignored and she can't tell if she hates it or if she loves it. It's pointless to think about it.

* * *

She gets a hotel room, and she doesn't care. Emotions are useless, they're worthless and so is Mystic Falls. Elena doesn't feel lonely. She doesn't. The big city is full of people who are alone, it doesn't mean they're lonely. But Elena hasn't seen a familiar face in weeks and something unfamiliar and unsettling creeps into her. It's not an emotion, Elena tells herself. She turned those damn things off when she read her mother's journal. It's fine. No one's ever loved her without thinking of Katherine or her fate. She's never been just Elena. She's always had to be Elena Petrova, or Katherine's doppelganger.

* * *

One city, then another, the road looks the same and so do the people, but it doesn't matter. None of it matters, and she wonders why she bothers. Then she remembers what Damon did when Stefan turned his emotions off. Damon and Stefan do not own her, do not have any part of her heart, they're friends and nothing more. Mystic Falls is hundreds of miles away, it's not likely that they'll find her. Still, there is a part of Elena that wants to keep moving. Just in case, and she tells herself as she gets her coffee to go, that it's a survival instinct. It's not avoidance, and that mess of their feelings about her doesn't matter. Still, if the Salvatores don't catch her, there's nothing they can do to her.

There's nothing to fix, nothing at all. Elena is fine without her pesky emotions, she doesn't have to think about the past or the future, all that matters is the minute she's in. It's not like she's a killer without her humanity, not that she has any left to prevent it. It's just that she doesn't want to kill people, she tells herself. It's messy, she writes to her diary. It's a harmless habit so she keeps it up.

* * *

It's not a big deal, she just doesn't want to deal with anything, so she doesn't. It's exploring and watching different towns and cities. It's not running away. Definitely just exploring, she thinks.

* * *

One day turns into a few weeks and she's in New York when she decides to stop running. It's a large playground, and it'll be hard to find her. It's definitely not settling down, she doesn't miss anyone. She'll move on eventually. Elena doesn't think about Caroline everytime she sees a girl with blonde hair, and she doesn't think she sees Bonnie in crowds. Jeremy isn't any of the boys she sees with sketchbooks in hand, and Alaric isn't waiting for the crosswalk. Elena definitely doesn't double check to make sure every man in a suit she sees isn't Elijah. She doesn't see them, she doesn't because she doesn't care. Not at all. Not even a little bit. Time passes, and she keeps moving.

* * *

A hand is wrapped around her arm and she feels a flash of victory for a moment, she is a vampire. Elena does not feel and she does not care. This person picked the wrong girl to mess with. The grip isn't hard or tight, and she looks at the person. Her mouth doesn't change, her eyebrows don't move. Her eyes are vacant.

Elijah. She doesn't say it, but he does his part anyway.

"Elena. It's true. You've abandoned your emotions." He speaks slowly, and she sighs.

"I'm fine. Let me go, Elijah." Elena doesn't make a move to escape his grip, he is an Original after all. If she plays her cards right, he'll let go with just a few words.

"I don't need to be fixed. I don't need dragged back to Mystic Falls. I don't need anyone." Elena tells him and he looks intrigued.

"If you need help-" He begins and she shakes her head.

"I'm not Tatia." Her voice doesn't sound hurt, she isn't hurt. Not at all. Elijah is just another person who loved a doppelganger and doesn't really see her.

"Elena I know that you are yourself-" Elijah begins and she shakes her head.

"I'm not Katherine either. Let me go, Elijah." Her voice has emotion, he notices. She's not as emotionless as she pretends to be, there's the Elena he knows underneath. She looks away when he tries to look into her eyes.

"You aren't compelling me and sending me back to Mystic Falls." Elena informs him and he arches an eyebrow. That wasn't his plan.

"You act as if I'm a Salvatore." He says and she doesn't laugh.

"Well, you made another mistake." Elena tells him and she slips out of his grip, he lets her. She disappears out into the streets, off to another city no doubt. He lets her go.

* * *

It's cold despite the fact the temperature is hot, Elena could probably leave an egg on the sidewalk and have it cook in a few minutes. The night is long and she is always tired. She is alone and lonely, even if she won't admit it. Time stretches in front of her, infinite and hard and she can't let herself think about it. There aren't cracks waiting for her emotions to burst out of. There aren't.

* * *

It's another night of coffee and no sleep, sleep is hell because she sees everyone she left behind. Matt loved her without knowing another doppelganger, she thinks. Matt was sweet and they were kids. Matt isn't the only one to love her before all of the drama, maybe it's just that he's different than the Salvatores. Her friends loved her without knowing about the supernatural. It feels like a million years ago, those happy days of being just human teenagers. It's too late to do anything but too early to label the time as night and she stares at the phone she bought instead of a watch.

Elijah is a tempting thought, he haunts her thoughts some nights. Elijah's always been able to tell the difference between her and Katherine. Always, actually. Every time she's pretended to be Katherine since becoming a vampire, she could fool almost anyone but Elijah. Katherine tried to pretend to be her a few times, he always knew. Elijah might have a few answers, but she's not sure what will happen if she calls him. She has nothing but time so she sleeps on it.

* * *

Another state, another round of her new routine. It's early in the morning, when Elena texts him. It's nothing but the address and room number to the hotel. She can hear steps to her room. She waits for a knock, but no. Elijah opens the door with his own key. He looks at her and closes the door. She doesn't move off the bed, and he sits next to her. The room isn't interesting, it's the standard as any room in the hotel chain. Elena is much more interesting and he waits for her to say something, anything.

"You're the only familiar face I've seen since I left Mystic Falls." Elena says in the silence and lets it sink in.

"Why did you leave?" Elijah's heard why the others think she left but he wants to hear it leave her lips. Her loved ones are not always accurate in their assumptions and assessments and he's always liked getting information from her instead.

"I found my mother's journal. She was the one who got me into it-and I found out that they knew." Elena sighs, and he notices the little details the average eye would skip over. Elena is tired, she hasn't been sleeping well or often, and there are emotions under the surface. She's not as out of touch with her emotions as the others think.

"Knew what?" He prompts, quietly.

"That I was the doppelganger. I remember arguments when I was a kid, and they were about me. My parents didn't love me like they loved Jeremy. Even my birth parents gave me up." Elena confesses.

"Did you Aunt Jenna know?" Elijah wonders. Elena shakes her head.

"I don't think so." She sighs.

"There are people who love you without thinking of the other doppelgangers, you know." Elijah reminds her and she wonders if he's talking about her friends or someone else.

"I know it's not your fault, you knew Tatia and Katherine, but do you ever see me?" Elena wonders and he turns and he has an amused expression on his face.

"Elena, I've only ever seen you. Do you want me to list out all the ways you're different from Tatia and Katerina?" He can't help that his amusement is in his voice.

"Yes." Elena nods, emotions under the surface won't burst out and have a reaction to any of this, even though it seems like something is going on. He smiles faintly and begins a very long monologue.

* * *

"I don't want to go back to Mystic Falls. Not right now. I don't want to turn my emotions on. It's going to come rushing back. It's too much." Elena tells him, because if her emotions come back, she's going to have to feel it. All of the things she definitely didn't feel, like the loneliness and the mess of all the other emotions combined.

"Okay." Elijah says, they can hear other people moving around in other rooms.

"Do you mind just staying for a while? Then we'll figure out something?" Elena wonders, and her voice doesn't shake a little because she definitely doesn't feel anything.

"Of course, lovely Elena." Elijah says, and the nickname doesn't give her butterflies, not at all, she tells herself.

It's a start, he thinks. Elena's not emotionless and he can help her from here. But they're going to sit together for a little longer and pretend they don't feel anything for each other, because Elena wants to.


	35. News Article (More like Onion article)

AN: The prompt for this chapter is: A story that features a real recent newspaper article.

So what I learned in my updating gap from the last 52 update to this is that I could not find a real story that I could write about. So we're going with an onion article on how to throw a surprise party. The Mikaelsons are ruling NOLA peacefully and Elena and Caroline live there but are single. Elena is human.

* * *

"How old is Elijah?" Elena asks Finn.

"A few years younger than me. So-" Finn trails off.

"About 1,038." Rebekah answers.

"You're like fossils." Caroline jokes and Klaus rolls his eyes.

"But we don't look it, love." Klaus replies and Caroline rolls her eyes at him.

"His birthday is in about a month if my memory's correct." Rebekah continues, ignoring Caroline and Nik.

"Does he ever celebrate it?" Elena wonders. Kol looks up from his phone.

"I sense a plan coming, Gilbert." Kol teases and Elena nods.

"I want to throw Elijah a surprise party for his birthday." Elena says and Klaus chokes on his drink.

"Elijah's not keen on surprises. And he doesn't like celebrating his birthday anyway." Rebekah informs Elena.

"But-" Kol begins and Rebekah shakes her head at him.

"What? What is it?" Elena wonders.

"Elijah might do like a party. If you did it." Kol says, and Rebekah is shooting daggers at him with her eyes but they aren't white oak so he ignores it. Elena raises an eyebrow.

"Why me?" She looks around the room, wondering if someone will tell her.

"Well-" Kol begins and Rebekah smacks his arm.

"Elijah's home." Rebekah announces and Elena sits up. She misses the look shared between everyone else in the room as Elijah walks in. Elena smiles at him and the corners of his mouth quirk.

"We should get going." Caroline says and Elena nods. It's getting late. Besides, Elena will see him for breakfast,

* * *

"I already ordered. We're predictable." Elena tells Elijah as he arrives. She's always earlier than he is, every time. He always wonders how she does it. He raises an eyebrow.

"Are we?" He wonders and Elena rolls her eyes.

"We've ordered the same things for almost a year. I'd call that predictable." Elena informs him and a smile tugs at his lips as she sips at her coffee. A mellow song plays and Elena's face turns serious.

"I need your help. It's important." Elena says and he learns forward.

"Are you-" Elijah begins and he sounds so concerned she has to stop him.

"Rebekah's birthday is soon. I have no idea what to get her. Or any of your siblings." Elena tells him and a smirk appears on his lips.

"And you know what you'd get me?" He teases and she nods, mischievous look in her eyes.

"I'd tell everyone you wanted to celebrate your birthday in a different city, have them leave and let you have a quiet day." Life has been hectic lately, there have been a few nights she knows he skipped sleep. Elijah pauses, as he considers her hypothetical gift.

"I like it." Elijah says as their breakfast arrives. It's a little manipulative for Elena to suggest, but peace and quiet like that would be perfect. He barely has this uninterrupted time with Elena, let alone much free time. It's been almost a year since Caroline and Elena arrived in New Orleans and it's still just as hectic as the day they arrived.

* * *

"Do you think if we just turned the lights off whoever's at the door would leave?" Elena wonders as she stays on his couch, wineglass in hand. Elijah chuckles as he moves to answer the door. It could be nothing but it could be something. Or someone.

"I wish." Elijah says and opens the door.

"I need your help." An unfamiliar voice sounds urgent and Elijah begins talking, quietly. Elena gets her jacket and texts Caroline that she's leaving Elijah's, she should go. It's not late, but it's still night and she should get back to the apartment she shares with Caroline.

"Elena." Elijah hears her walking to him and she's ready to leave.

"I'll see you tomorrow." Elena smiles, she gets it. Elijah opens his mouth and she pecks his cheek and walks away. Elena's heartbeat is fast and nervous, and they both know it.

* * *

"I need a drink and a way out of the country in the next hour." Elena announces as she walks into the Mikaelson house. Elijah can't possibly be there before her, it's safe. Kol grins at her with interest.

"Why? Did you kill a world leader or something?" Kol grins and she rolls her eyes.

"Elena wouldn't do that." Klaus appears, an amused grin on his face.

"She daggered Rebekah and Elijah once. She's capable of it. Did you kill someone?" Finn inquires and Elena rolls her eyes at the eldest Mikaelson.

"Where's Bekah?" Elena asks. The blonde appears and Elena lets out a sigh of relief.

"I'm here, why do you want to leave the country?" Rebekah asks and Elena turns red.

"Leave." Rebekah demands, waving her hand at her brothers.

"I kind of might have kissed Elijah on the cheek." Elena whispers as Rebekah pours herself a drink.

"Okay, so?" Rebekah presses.

"And then I left?" Elena makes it sound like a question.

"Why do you look so worried? Elijah is fond of you." Rebekah divulges as she hears the front door open.

"I-you know how I feel about Elijah. I don't want to ruin our friendship." Elena bites her lip.

"Elena, I can guarantee Elijah doesn't mind you kissed his cheek. In fact-Elijah fancies you." Rebekah divulges. She's tired of watching them dance around each other. The two get breakfast together regularly and know each other's coffee preferences for fuck's sake. Rebekah wonders how Elijah and Elena are so blind.

"Rebekah don't be mean." Elena says.

"It's the truth. Elijah likes you. We all know it." Rebekah says.

"Rebekah is telling the truth." Finn calls and Elena's eyes widen.

"I've got to go." Elena says and practically bolts out of the house. Kol walks to Rebekah with a grin on his face.

"How much do you want to bet she's going to Elijah right now?" Kol wonders and Rebekah smirks.

"I'll take that bet." Rebekah replies.

* * *

He knocks and waits for a moment. Elena swears from another room, there's sound and her heartbeat quickens.

"Elijah, the door's open." She says, knowing he'll hear. He opens the door as she deals with getting her jacket on and checking her lipstick.

"Hey. How are you doing?" Caroline asks asks Elena hands her a pair of boots.

"Thanks, I was trying to find those." Caroline says to Elena before Elijah speaks.

"I'm good. Klaus is doing well and free today, if you want to see him." Elijah says and Caroline raises an eyebrow.

"I didn't ask about Klaus." Caroline says carefully and Elijah and Elena quietly laugh at that.

"I know." Elijah says and Caroline moves to the couch to put on the boots in her hands.

"Ready?" Elijah directs the question to Elena who looks at him.

"Yeah. Sorry, we were up kind of late last night. Unlike Caroline I actually need sleep." Elena says and Caroline rolls her eyes.

"I'll be with Klaus if you need anything." Caroline begins.

"But you probably won't." Caroline's eyes flicker to Elijah and Elena nods.

* * *

"So Bekah and Kol have a bet running and you do live with Elena, Did Elena go to Elijah's after she left here?" Klaus wonders and Caroline shakes her head as she selects a paint brush. Klaus raises an eyebrow.

"I know, if I didn't know I would have bet she did, but I was home when she got back and she told me about all of it." Caroline says as she picks a royal blue paint out and Klaus nods with approval of her choice.

"Did you tell her Elijah loves her? Or confirm what Bekah said?" Klaus wonders and Caroline shakes her head.

"Well, she didn't really ask so I didn't confirm or deny it. And remember when Elena suggested throwing a surprise birthday party for Elijah? She wants me to help her plan it. I'm dooooooomed." Caroline draws the last word out and Klaus laughs at her theatrics. Caroline doesn't bother faking offense.

"Okay, what's today's art lesson?" Caroline wonders, attempting to have a serious expression on her face.

"Balance." Klaus says, and focuses on finding something in particular. Caroline takes the opportunity to stare at him without getting caught, before he shows her a specific brush and begins their art lesson. She wanted to learn and he doesn't mind teaching.

* * *

They're still dancing around each other. Almost another month of it, but Elena's managed to plan a surprise party in Elijah's apartment the day of his birthday. Elena will give Caroline her copy of Elijah's apartment key that morning, and Elena will keep him busy. Or at least that's the plan. Two days. Elena's asking about what presents they got Elijah.

"I got him cufflinks he thought he lost about a century ago." Kol tells Elena.

"Alcohol." Klaus answers.

"I haven't decided yet." Finn admits.

"I'll get it for him tomorrow." Rebekah sighs. Elena checks her phone.

"He'll be over here in a few minutes." Elena says. Rebekah sighs.

"Just kiss him already." Rebekah groans. Finn and Kol leave the room at that, they don't want to hear about it.

"You're ridiculous. Elijah doesn't like me that way." Elena says. Klaus notices that Elena doesn't deny how she feels.

"He does. Fancy you, I mean. Trust us." Klaus speaks up and Elena rolls her eyes. It's been awhile since Mystic Falls, and she does trust the Mikaelsons. Mostly.

"Elijah is-" Elena begins.

"Here." Rebekah finishes, and Elena is glad she didn't finish her sentence.

"I heard my name. Good things I hope?"" Elijah appears, and while Elena's spent time around vampires, it's always a little startling when they just appear like that.

"Very good things." Klaus is smirking and Elena shoots him a dirty look.

"We should go." Elena says, and Elijah nods. They're going on a little roadtrip to get a gift for Rebekah and Elena planned their itinerary. There's a bakery she wants to try among other things. Rebekah rolls her eyes at them and Elijah ignores it.

* * *

"I want the key back at the end of the night. Don't let Kol or Klaus make a copy of it." Elena says and Caroline laughs.

"Like doors are a deterrent." Caroline reminds her.

"Damn vampires." Elena mutters as there's a knock at the door. Caroline opens it before ELena can move.

"One "damn vampire" here." Elijah's amused and in a good mood. He has to know it's his birthday.

"See you later, Care." Elena says and Caroline winks.

* * *

"This is a beautiful song." Elena says, in the quiet restaurant. They have a while before their food arrives.

"Do you want to dance?" Elijah wonders. There are a few people slow dancing already and he's decided tonight is the night. He's going to make a move.

"I'd like that." Elena answers and they're close.

"I don't think we've done this since your mother tried to kill everyone by using my blood." Elena says quietly and Elijah grins.

"You're right." He confirms, the steps are easy, and the song ends. Elena doesn't move away, and the next song is slower. Elena almost puts her head on Elijah's shoulder, but the song ends and their food's arrived.

* * *

"We didn't need to have a cake." Klaus says, looking at the perfectly iced letters.

"What else were we supposed to get? Here's blood everyone-oh sorry Elena." Caroline retorts and Klaus hides his grin.

"We could have added alcohol." Kol says.

"Elena says they'll be here in about twenty minutes." Caroline says, looking at her phone.

* * *

"Do you mind if I borrow that book?" Elena wonders.

"Not at all. We'll go by my apartment and then I'll get you home." Elijah says and Elena hides her grin. Her plan works, Elijah's following the plan.

"Elena?" Elijah asks. She looks up.  
"Sorry-I was just thinking." Elena says, looking at him. Something shifts, they're alone. There's no one else nearby, and he's looking at her with something she's seen before. She blinks, Elena's never bothered figuring out where she's seen it before. Right before kisses she's had in the past. She moves her head, thankful she wore heeled shoes and Elijah closes the distance.

* * *

"They're late." Rebekah complains.

"Maybe Elijah and Elena have better things to do." Finn remarks dryly.

"Maybe they finally kissed." Caroline hypothesizes.

"I think that's them. Everyone shut up." Klaus says, and they hide behind furniture because Caroline insisted on it.

The key turns in the lock, and the door is pushed open.

"Happy birthday!" They all shout and Elijah has a rare look on his face. He's confused.

"It's my birthday?" Elijah asks and Elena laughs.

"I can't believe you forgot your birthday." Rebekah tells him.

"It's been a few centuries since I last celebrated it, and we weren't born in an age that kept track of months." Elijah retorts and Elena shuts the door.

His family's going to drive him crazy so she'll make it up to him later.

"Whose idea was this?" Elijah wonders as Caroline cuts the cake.

"Elena's." Klaus says and Elena rolls her eyes at him.

* * *

"You're all ridiculous." Elijah says after he unwraps his presents.

"Says you. You two are ridiculous." Rebekah mutters, looking at Elijah and Elena.

"Why were you two late anyway?" Kol wonders. Elena's blush tells them all they need to know.

"About bloody time." Rebekah says.


	36. Animal

AN: The prompt for this chapter is: A story written from an animal's perspective. So, I really liked Scully the cat from chapter 5, so I'm sliding this fic into the middle of that one pretty much. Despite this chapter being about cats, I actually am allergic to cats. I don't have a lot of experience with them to be honest. Sorry this was so short!

Elena is warm enough to nap nearby, but there are some days she gets up earlier than usual. Usually she begins to talk about Elijah and Scully plays with a toy instead of actually listening. Elena talks about Elijah, but Scully's only seen him makes sure to make it's clear Elena is her human, in case Elena sees other cats out in the world outside of the apartment.

* * *

Elena never does smell like other cats due to Scully's dedication. Elena comes back smelling like coffee and books or paper those days she leaves early. There are nights where Elena stays in and they eat while X Files plays, and there are nights Elena does different things. Sometimes Scully gets to see a peek of the world while it's dry, the days where it rains she's stuck inside. It's almost always raining.

* * *

She sees peeks of Elijah a few times before he enters the apartment again. Scully inspects him, and he lets her. Then he picks her up and she looks at Elena.

"Be careful." Elena says hesitantly and Scully purrs.

"I know how to hold a cat, lovely Elena." Elijah says and Scully flicks her tail against Elijah's hand when he stops petting her.

"Demanding little cat." Elijah says and Elena grins as he resumes petting her.

"Make yourself comfortable, I'm going to make tea." Elena says and Elijah nods.

Scully stares at him, moving back to fully inspect him. Elijah continues to pet her and she blinks slowly. Elijah grins and Elena starts an X-files episode.

* * *

"Elijah." Elena says, and Scully darts to the open door, too quick for Elena to catch. A pair of hands catch her though, and she stares at Elijah in lets out a loud meow of complaint at him and he chuckles as he hands her to Elena. She's free to roam around as Elena and Elijah settle on the couch, and she watches them. The humans talk, although Elijah is a fast human, she'll outrun him someday. It's with that in mind that Scully plants herself on Elena's lap, ignoring Elijah. She says something and Elijah laughs. Scully purrs as familiar music plays from the TV and Elena pets her.

* * *

Elijah is over often. Sometimes he smells of things that are _new_ and _interesting_ and other time he just smells like a boring human. There are times where he picks Scully up and there are times he doesn't. When he doesn't, she bothers him until he pays attention.

Elijah and Elena stare at each other frequently which is annoying because they aren't petting her when they do this. Still, one of them will pay her attention eventually. The two get closer over time, and it's more annoying to try and sit between them because sometimes there just _isn't_ space so she has to settle with being on both of them. Elijah and Elena will both pet her if she does this, so she doesn't mind too much.

There are times where Elena's home late, and repeating the word "sorry" over and over and fills Scully's bowl before anything else. Elijah sometimes comes in with her those nights, and there are times he doesn't.

* * *

The door opens one afternoon and it's not Elena. Scully crouches, ready to pounce when she sees it's Elijah. He's always over, but it's always with Elena. Scully meows at him.

"I know, I'm not lovely Elena. But she's preoccupied and you need to eat. So here I am." Elijah says and Scully rubs on his legs. Scully likes Elijah, but Elena's always with him. Humans are confusing. Elijah fills her food bowl and refills her water.

"Elena's going to be back in the morning. So I'll be here for a while." Elijah says and Scully decides that she's done eating, she wants to sprawl on the couch where Elijah is.

"You are a demanding little cat." Elijah tells her as he opens his laptop, but he still pets her with one hand. She falls asleep after that, and when she wakes up, Elena is holding her close.

"Did you miss me? How was Elijah?" Elena asks and Scully rubs her head against the hand near it as an answer.

* * *

"Scully?" Elena asks and Scully ignores her, from her spot under her bed.

"Elijah. Elijah-I lost Scully. Can you please-" Elena begins and Scully tunes her out after hearing her name, she's busy playing with her toy. There's an odd noise and the door opens. Scully isn't expecting the hand that grabs her, she voices her protest at the hand until she sees the owner.

Elena's eyes look red and she immediately takes Scully from the hands she's in. Elijah, Scully looks at him briefly.

"Thank you so much, I thought that she had gotten out and I was so worried and I know it's stupid but-" Elena give him a partial hug, careful not to squish Scully.

"It's not stupid. You were worried." Elijah murmurs and Scully purrs as Elena lets him go to pet her.

"I was so worried about you. I love you so much, Scully." Elena begins to speak to her and Scully tunes her out as she gets petted by two sets of hands.

* * *

There are times she falls asleep on Elena, and time she falls asleep on Elijah. Something is odd about Elijah, he never eats with Elena. Elijah is faster than Elena and he always wears what Elena calls "suits". Elijah is odd, but he makes Elena smile and laugh. Then they might look at each other for a little too long, Scully always makes sure she gets attention when it seems like it's gone on for too long. Life is good.


	37. Scientific Discovery

AN: The prompt for this chapter is: A story about a scientific discovery. I'm so sorry, I planned to have this up by Christmas Adam, but almost 11 on Christmas Eve isn't bad either, I suppose. AH AU, happy holidays everyone!

* * *

"See you next year. Are you going home soon?" Donna says and Elena smiles. The blonde woman is wrapping a scarf around her neck, leaving after a long day.

"Mikaelson and I might stay a bit later." Elena says and Donna nods.

"There's a storm coming tomorrow, don't stay too long." Donna teases and Elena rolls her eyes. Donna laughs and leaves. Elena watches her go before she rejoins the only person left in the lab.

"Donna just left? Shouldn't you be leaving too?" Elijah wonders, moving to look at something with the microscope.

"Yup, It's just us. I'll leave when you do. Jeremy didn't want to get stuck here if we had a storm, so he and Anna are staying home. What about you? It's Christmas Adam after all." Elena says.

"My siblings are all in different places. We already mailed presents." Elijah answers, carefully moving the slide to a safe spot on the counter. He looks up at her before she sits next to him, looking through data he's recorded.

"Christmas Adam?" Elijah wonders and Elena smiles as she reads.

"It's the day before Christmas Eve. Do you even have a tree up or did you just unwrap and already write the thank you cards?" Elena asks and Elijah rolls his eyes.

"Just look through the logs, Gilbert." He complains after a few moments and she laughs.

"I'm still your favorite person to work with though. Even if you roll your eyes at me." Elena reminds him as she files the data, moving to check on the experiments running.

"Maybe." Elijah says as he looks at another slide. Elena snorts. Sometimes their conversations take more time than when they're out of the lab, but it's easy to get caught up in work and not respond for a few minutes.

"You love me." Elena draws the words out and looks at the petri dish experiments, larger versions of what's on the microscope slides Elijah's looking at.

"I do." Elijah says quietly, seriously. A few minutes pass.

"Oh my god. Elijah." Elena says and he wonders if she heard him but dismisses it when he hears her next set of words.

"This sample is growing rapidly. We can grow this in the right conditions after all." Elena says and he moves to look at the petri dishes with her.

"We put that in two days ago." Elijah says, staring at the dish and Elena lets out an excited noise and hugs him.

"We did it! It can be mass produced and get into drugs that'll have pharmaceutical trials and-" She trails off as he wraps his arms around her. She's so excited and happy, and she stills when she realizes she's never actually hugged him. Donna and a few of the others have hugged her, but she's barely touched his hand when handing him something.

"We'll need to come in tomorrow to check on it." Elena says, and they're still hugging, so she lets go.  
"Of course. I'll email the others. I don't want to make a dozen phone calls on _Christmas Adam_." Elijah says and Elena rolls her eyes at him.

"It is late. They're probably with loved ones." Elena checks her phone, Donna left two hours ago. Elijah looks at her with a familiar look, and she decides something.

"You don't have dinner plans with anyone after this do you?" She wonders as she reads the email he's typing over his shoulder.

"I do not. My family's in various countries and most of my friends are preoccupied with their spouses and or families." Elijah informs her. She knows he's single, someone asked him a few days ago. Unless that's changed, but she doubts it.

"After this, let's go get dinner at that diner on the corner you haven't gone to." Elena says and he finishes the email before he picks who to send it to.

"The one where you grab lunch for us?" Elijah wonders.

"Sometimes I swear, without me you'd forget to eat sometimes." Elena jokes and he rolls his eyes.

"Sent. Let's clean up and lock up and get dinner." Elijah says and Elena grins, Elijah's more fun to be around when it's just them.

* * *

The diner's playing a love song that's Christmas related as they walk in and she can't help but glance at Elijah. It's kind of embarrassing but she has a huge crush on him. He's smart, attractive, funny and mysterious. But it's never going to happen, so pretends like his fingers touching hers to pass her the menu on his side of the table doesn't do anything.

"What would you recommend?" Elijah wonders.

"This is what I usually bring you, but this is also really good." Elena leans over the table slightly, pointing to items on his menu.

"I should start bringing you lunch." Elijah says and Elena's eyes twinkle like she does before she tells a joke. She's so beautiful when she smiles with her eyes like that and she's looking at him.

"You can do it next year." She says and he laughs. It's only a handful of days before the new year begins.

"I think I'm going to go with what you recommended." Elijah says after a quick glance at the menu again.

"You really trust my opinion." Elena notices and he nods.

"Of course. I trust you quite a bit, actually." Elijah says and he's fairly secretive, he's hardly an open book. It feels like a compliment rather than a statement of fact.

"I trust you too. Especially because we work with volatile stuff." Elena says and she loves the mutual trust and respect they have for each other. She and Elijah work well together, she's not going to jeopardize that.

* * *

They end up playing truth or dare after they order, because it's Christmas Adam and Elena has an app for it.

"Truth or dare?" Elena asks and Elijah grins.

"Truth." He decides and she taps her phone. Her eyes widen as she reads the question.

"Who are you in love with?" She reads and he looks at her with a familiar look.

"You don't have to answer it, it's a personal question and your personal life is yours-if you don't want to talk about who you're dating." Elena adds and he smirks and damn him, it's attractive.

""I don't mind, I'm not dating anyone. But I'll tell you the answer if you want." Elijah tells her and she shrugs.

"If you feel like telling me then go for it." Elena says.

"You." Elijah says simply. Elena stares at him, eyebrows furrowed for a moment.

"I'm in love with you." He clarifies.

"I heard that, I'm still-processing." Elena says and before either of them can say anything else, their food arrives.

"I thought I was kind of ridiculous, having a giant crush on you." Elena looks down, embarrassed.

"Then we're both ridiculous." Elijah says and Elena laughs.

"Maybe we are."Elena concedes, as a milkshake appears in front of them.

"Here's your milkshake." Their waitress says and Elijah thanks her.

"You're a little more ridiculous though." Elena grins, it's below freezing out and he ordered a _milkshake._

There's things to do, things to discuss, they'll be in the lab tomorrow, but for now, she's getting another straw because that milkshake looks excellent and he just mentioned he couldn't get through it by himself. It's not a bad Christmas Adam.


	38. I pick aka Superhero AU

AN: The prompt for this chapter is: A story of your choice because this prompt was repeated in chapter 21. So this wasn't technically the prompt but….I wanted to do a superhero au. Elijah's not an Original, but he's still a vampire because why the fuck not. Elijah's basically vampire Batman without the angst of dead parents and the kids and Elena's basically Supergirl without Superman.

This took a lot longer than I thought, but I really wanted to get the entire thing out. Shout out to Sarah for helping me with the superhero names and beta'ing this chapter. Also, kudos to whoever can get all of the references!

 _Please review! Reviews help me write and post more often!_

* * *

"I was wondering when I'd run into you." He says, and the woman laughs. It's a pretty laugh. They're still both covering their faces with masks and standing on a rooftop though.

"I think the city's big enough for two superheroes." Her grin is visible because her mask allows it, he wonders who she is. Superheroes are on the rise nowadays, there's a few in different cities. He's been thinking about trying to assemble them, get a team together. After all, he's got nothing but time.

"It is. The news doesn't know what to make of you." He tells her but there's no doubt they're trying to figure out who she is, like they've tried to figure out who he is. He also wants to know more, but it's her first night in his city. Better not to push at it.

"Are you actually Inhuman? Or is that just what they call you?" The woman wonders. He smirks.

"Are you from the Amazon?" He retorts and she shakes her head.

"Stick around and find out." He says and she smiles, flashing white teeth at him.

"I will." She says, and then Amazon is off the roof, down to fight crime. He hears sirens and heads in their direction. He's pretty sure she's flying past him for a moment, but she disappears.

* * *

"The crime rate has gone down, but we can't help but wonder, did our first superhero lure others to our city? Is the appearance of the superhero nicknamed "Amazon" a bad sign? Is she in cahoots with Inhuman?" The newscaster wonders and Elijah turns the TV off. Time will tell. Until then, he's going to work. His empire isn't going to run itself.

* * *

"We have a report that there is a fire not far from where I'm standing, Grant Park. I'm being told a mother and child are trapped inside a burning building." The reporter says.

Work can wait, Elena thinks.

* * *

She arrives less than a minute later and she can only hear one heartbeat in the house.

"Where's the mother?" She asks urgently.

"It's just the little girl in there and-" The closest fireman begins and she flies through the open doorway, flames engulfing her for a moment. She ignores the roar of the hungry fire and focuses and knows where the child is.

The door to the room is hot but Elena breaks it down anyway. Fire can't hurt her, and she can tell by the creak of the floors that the structure isn't going to hold for much longer. The girl looks at her with wide eyes, and fire is beginning to spread into the room. Elena picks her up and begins to think about the best exit, floating a few inches off the unstable floor.

"You're okay. It's okay, I've got you. This is gonna keep you safe, okay?" She says. The girl nods and her cape over the child. One arm holds her close, away from the flames.

Her free hand punches through the brick wall and to freedom. She flies away from the building, slowly descending to the ground, murmuring to the little girl that she's safe, it's fine. Elena moves her cape away

"Abby!" A woman cries and Elena lands carefully, hands the girl over to the crying woman. She's about to go, there's other places to be work needs to to be the peacekeeper-but the woman touches her shoulder. There are people watching, firefighters, bystanders, and Elena stops.

"Thank you. Thank you for saving my little girl." The woman says and looks into her eyes. Elena nods.

* * *

"Did you see Amazon? Just in the middle of the day, saving a little girl. I thought they all were night owls." The news anchor says to the other, and Elijah continues drinking his coffee, interested in the news. Amazon isn't a nocturnal hero, she doesn't mind being seen in broad daylight.

"Now, over to the Mikaelson charity ball that will be happening in two weeks. We've got a peek at the guest list and the celebrity drama involving that ugly split on Twitter last night!" Another anchor changes topics. Elijah sighs.

* * *

"I'm fine. Really. Just glad I added the cape today." Elena mutters and she can tell Jeremy's rolling his eyes over the phone. She's lucky most kids trust superheroes nowadays, they're public figures that mean safety. She's wanted to do something with her time with the powers she has. Jeremy's been nothing but supportive, but Elena knows he worries sometimes.

"At least I was close to my lunch break this time." Elena says as she walks back to work. Jeremy sighs at her before he makes her promise to have dinner with him soon. It's been too long since they've spent time together, and he misses his sister.

/

As soon as she gets home, Elena slips into the suit, it feels good to be genuine. She's here, she's got powers and she wants to use them. She doesn't have to pretend to be human or Elena Gilbert. She can be Elena Petrova, last of her kind, superhero.

There's a bank robbery that's easily stopped, a cat in a tree, and a car wreck all before Inhuman shows appears for the night. When he appears, it's on one of the tallest buildings in the city. He talks just loudly enough for her to hear.

"You saved that little girl in broad daylight. The firefighters could have-" Inhuman begins and she stops him.

"No. They couldn't have. It wasn't structurally sound. One wrong move and the floor would have collapsed." Amazon is quick to correct him.

"Guessing you don't keep regular hours them if you can do that in the middle of the day." Elijah says and she smirks and he watches her reaction with interest, it's information to be filed away and analyzed later..

"Sounds like you're fishing." She teases and he looks at her for a moment.

"It's the job. It's what we do. It's what I try to do. Save people." She's serious for the moment.

"Maybe we can work together. Divide the city and do our jobs." She suggests in the moment of silence that follows and he nods. It's an interesting idea but they're still complete strangers.

"Maybe." He says, and they both see flashing lights in different directions.

"If you really want to talk again, meet me here when the city's quiet for the night." He says and she nods.

"See you later." She says and jumps off the roof. He watches her fly away and his curiosity is only heightened.

* * *

The city is finally quiet, the people who work early are leaving for work, people are getting home from the nightshift. She stands next to him, looking at how the lights look as the city's finally calm.

"It looks pretty like this." She says and he nods. Their capes are moving with the wind and he decides to tease her.

"Why'd you add the cape? If you wanted to match me, you should have gone for black." He says and she laughs.

"I found the right fabric. It's fireproof." She says, it's a half assed explanation but she can't give him all of her secrets. They don't trust each other, but that could change. It's still better to keep in the dark until they can trust each other. If that ever happens.

"See you tomorrow night?" She asks and he nods. It begins a routine.

* * *

There's a reporter on a roof, standing too close to the edge. Elena wonders what she could possibly be covering on a roof, but stays out of sight.

"And back to you in the studi-oh!" The reporter begins and then screams. Elena swoops in and catches her, checking the woman for injury. Humans are so fragile, it's easy to hurt them if she isn't careful. The woman must be fine because she's firing off questions like bullets that bounce off Elena.

"What do you think of Inhuman? Are you two working together? How quickly can you fly? What's the source of your powers?" The reporter rattles off questions before Elena sets her on the ground, carefully. She stares for a moment, making sure the human's fine before she she goes. The reporter fidgets, those eyes of hers can be just as intense as Inhuman's.

"Thank you." The reporter says, smoothing her skirt. The cameraman is focusing on them, Elena can tell.

"You're welcome. Be careful." Elena says and wonders if she'll be on the news and internet in the morning. She's sure Inhuman will have an opinion on it and she doesn't know why she cares. There's other things to do, more people to save if she can.

* * *

"You keep changing parts of your costume." Inhuman notes as she finds him on the roof of Mikaelson Enterprises. It's one of the tallest buildings in the city, she can see why he likes it.

"Skirts are impractical. Learned that the first day. My second day I realized a cape wouldn't be bad. I'm learning." Elena says.

"What'd you learn today?" He asks.

"Today? Reporters will interrogate you even if you just saved them from falling off a building." Elena informs him and he laughs.

"Which reporter?" He'll see it on the news later, but he might as well ask.

"The redhead night reporter from channel four news." Elena says.

"Ah." He sounds amused, but she doesn't know him well enough to be sure if he is or not.

"It's quiet here. I thought it'd be-" Elena trails off.

"Worse? Most of the super criminals are locked up at the moment. Or sleeping." Elijah says.

A phone vibrates and she looks at him.

"You should probably answer that. See you tomorrow." Elena says and he nods. She's not just human, she wouldn't have heard his phone if she was. He's going to figure it out. Just not tonight. She's flying away, red cape bright against the partially lit city.

* * *

"What's he like? Inhuman I mean." Jeremy says and Elena shrugs.

"Not human. He keeps his phone on him. Or at least, he did last night." Elena says.

"Do you want the last piece of pizza?" Jeremy asks.

"Yup." Elena says. Life is crazy and hectic, but at least she and Jeremy have enough free time for dinner at her apartment. Jeremy sighs as she reaches for the pint of her favorite ice cream he brought over.

"I don't think my metabolism has ever been like a fraction of how fast yours is." He complains half heartedly and Elena laughs.

"Perks of being an alien." Elena reminds him and he chooses to play the next episode of the show they're watching.

"Remember when you thought the right way to eat pizza was crust first?" Jeremy pauses the show and she can tell he's trying not to laugh. Elena remembers that, year ago when they were still children and she was trying to adjust.

"Some people do it! How was I supposed to know?" Elena groans and he laughs. The episode is resumed and Elena's glad to have him in the same city as her. She needs to suit up soon but they have a few more minutes.

* * *

"You didn't even give me time to get here." Inhuman complains quietly to her as they watch the supercriminal be restrained and put in police custody.

"If you snooze you loose." Elena retorts and they're aware of how they look, standing close enough that they can't be heard by others, capes almost touching. He chuckles and they watch the police cars drive away.

"I was thinking." He begins and Elena resists the urge to make a joke.

"And I'd like you to have this." He takes something out of his utility belt and displays it in his hand.

"I have one in my ear. We'd be able to talk to each other, if needed." He says. She stares at him with suspicious eyes.

"You can check it out yourself, there aren't any trackers in it." He hands it to her, cool hand touching hers for a moment.

"I will." She tells him.

"I'm going to make sure that nothing happens en route with that criminal you took down." He says and she nods. They go their separate ways, they'll see each other on a roof in a few hours.

* * *

"This is Kara's Gourmet chili, can anyone hear me?" Elena says quietly, and there's a pause before she gets an answer.

"Is your name Kara?" Inhuman wonders with obvious interest.

"Nope. I don't make chili for a living either. Just testing this out." Elena says and he grins but he knows she can't see it.

"Good to know you trust me enough to use it." He says.

"Maybe." Elena says. She already has a plan to leave it on the newspaper building's roof. Just in case it is bugged.

* * *

He's waiting for her on the Mikaelson building instead of the newspaper building and the earpiece hasn't been moved from where she left it. She puts it back in and waits for him to say something.

"I figured you'd take it out. I don't want to track you. I want your trust." Inhuman says and Elena looks at him from the newspaper's roof.

"And I want yours." She says. They both want the same thing. Elena flies over, and stands next to him.

"Good to know we're on the same page." He says and she nods.

It's only about a week of being a superhero for her, but Inhuman's been part of the city for a few years.

"Are you going to be doing this during the Mikaelson charity ball next week?" Elena wonders. He raises an eyebrow.

"Do you want to go?" He sounds amused.

"It's a high profile event. I was just wondering." Elena says.

"I think Mikaelson has his own security. He doesn't need us." Inhuman says and she shrugs.

"What do you think about him?" Inhuman wonders as they watch cars go by.

"What, Mikaelson?" She asks and he nods.

"Self-made billionaire who actively tries to make things safer and donates a ton of money to charity? Not bad. He's pretty attractive too. Wonder what he's like." Elena says and Inhuman has a smirk pulling at his lips.

"Do you have some time to spare? I'd like to see what all you can do with your abilities." Inhuman says.

"Only if you do the same." Elena decides. He bites his lip for a moment.

"That's fair. Deal." He says and she grins.

"Where do you want to go? Elena asks.

"You know that mall that's scheduled to be demolished?" Elijah asks and Elena nods. It's at the edge of the city, scheduled to be demolished soon.

"See you there." Elena says and jumps off the roof, and soars. Flying always feels nice. He's watching, but it doesn't matter. She can hear him mutter through the comm.

"Show off." He says and she just laughs, a loud and real one. No one's out, there's no one to record this or watch. She's just Elena Petrova. Nothing more, nothing less.

She beats him by a few seconds and he watches her for a moment.

"Show me what you've got." She says because she's curious.

"Alright. Do you want me to hold back?" Inhuman asks and she shakes her head.

"I'm not fragile." Elena tells him and sets her feet on the ground.

"Okay." Inhuman says and he tries, bless his heart. He hits hard when he does land a blow, but she's pretty sure it hurts him more than it hurts her. She's fast, and she's strong. Elena throws him through a wall.

"Shit. You okay?" Elena calls and he's up, there's an odd sound coming from him. They're pretty evenly matched, punching and dodging each other. There are a few times one of them gets the upper hand, but it never lasts for very long. She's definitely got stamina, he'll give her that. He heals quickly but nothing seems to hurt her. The fight stops when she thinks the mall's unstable for them to stay in.

"You're good." Inhuman compliments.

"Just good? I thought I was great." Elena stretches and shakes the dust off. Inhuman does the same thing and she watches for a moment, looking at his costume.

"You missed some dust on your left arm." Elena tells him and he brushes it off, and she stares at it for a second longer than she needs to. Inhuman is attractive but it's also an hour or two until dawn and she needs a shower and sleep.

"Mind if I call it a night? We can finish this tomorrow." Elena says and Inhuman nods.

* * *

"Long night?" Caroline asks and Elena nods as she drinks another cup of coffee. It doesn't affect her as much as it would a human and she's not that tired, but it doesn't hurt to blend in.

"Like you would not believe." Elena tells her and Caroline wiggles her eyebrows in response.

"What? No. Not that, Caroline. Mind out of the gutter." Elena says as she reads what needs to be done for the day.

"What kept you up?" Caroline asks, a familiar look in her eyes.

"I'll tell you later." Elena says, even though she knows she definitely will not.

* * *

"You're a little late." Inhuman notes as he sees a red cape in the air, Elena's flying closer.

"Two minutes. Besides, I knew you'd be out already." Elena tells him with the comm. She's almost to the rooftop he's on before he widens his eyes.

"Go to Fifth and Washington, there's a man who's going to fall from his balcony." Inhuman says quickly and so she goes. The wind rushes through her hair and she spots the man, awkwardly clinging to the thin metal rails of his balcony.

"Amazon?" The man asks as she picks the man up, his grip had almost failed him.

"I've got you. It's fine." He's in shock, she knows what to say. There are firefighters with a ladder that hasn't been fully extended, passersby watching, and she asks where he wants to be set down.

"Uh, back in my apartment. Thank you. I did this for a dare and I didn't know I couldn't get back up." The man says and she helps him back in through the window, with an anxious looking man looking at them from an open laptop.

"Maybe go with less extreme truth or dares." Elena suggests gently and the man nods.

Then she's out again, in the air. The sun disappears from the sky by the time she has an another actual conversation with Inhuman other than new locations or places to be.

"This works well. I like it." Elena says. Their job isn't to save everyone. There are times people don't need help or an ambulance does the job.

"We work well together." Inhuman tells her and she can't say she disagree as Elena looks at the city streets.

"There's a girl who's trying to chase her dog. I'll drop you down there and see what the sirens at the harbor are about." Elena says and Elijah pauses but she finds his hands at his sides and holds them before she jumps off the roof, pulling him with her. It's a few seconds until his feet are on the ground and they'll talk later, so he focuses on the girl trying to find her dog.

"Fluffy?" The girl calls, and he sees a furry dog that barely reaches his ankles running to him. Elijah picks it up and the little girl looks around, and tries to dash through the busy street. Elijah moves her to the sidewalk before she's hit by a car. Superspeed is good in moments like that. Elijah lets out a breath of relief, he wasn't sure if he was going to reach her in time.

"You're Inhuman! You have Fluffy!" The dog in his arms recognizes the little girl and he carefully hands the dog to her.

"Catherine? Catherine? Where are you?" A woman calls and Inhuman crouches to look at the girl.

"Is your name Catherine?" He asks and she nods, looking at her dog.

"Someone's looking for you. You need to be careful okay? Look both ways before you cross and be careful of busy streets." He says. The little girl nods solemnly, and a blonde woman walks at him and the child he's next to. She picks Catherine up and holds her close.

"I was so worried. Are you bothering the superhero from doing his job?" The woman says and the girl shakes her head.

"He found Fluffy and stopped me from crossing the street because it's busy." Catherine sounds thoroughly unconcerned and the woman looks at him.

"Thank you." The woman thanks him and the little girl is set down and the woman takes the dog.

"Thank you for finding Fluffy." The girl is short, and hugs his leg before running back to the woman.

"She um, she can't tell if she likes you or Amazon better. She adores you both." The woman says and Inhuman smiles, genuinely.

"Nothing wrong with that. You two stay safe." Inhuman says and disappears out of sight.

* * *

"That was adorable, saving that dog and that little girl. Kids all over the city adore you, you know." Amazon tells him and Inhuman looks at her.

"I hear a lot about you at work. People care about what you do and what you say. People idolize you. Especially kids. You're a role model." Amazon leans forward to look at the traffic from their spot on the Mikaelson Enterprises building's roof..

"We are." He corrects and her head turns sharply.

"Kids love you too. Kids love superheroes period. Or just about anyone they like. I once saw a supercriminal sign a kid's shirt because he asked him to before he tried to seal the police station on seventh with gum." Inhuman says. Amazon looks at him and he nods.

"It's true. People wonder about you too. What you really do in the daytime, where you got your cape, there are already Halloween costumes based off our costumes. There are kids, especially little girls who look up to you. You smile and people compare it to the sun coming out." Inhuman says and she raises an eyebrow. It was in a newspaper article he read when she first started.

"You're kind. People love that. There's not enough in this day and age." Inhuman sounds like he's thinking about something long passed. Or perhaps a time long past, Elena wonders how old he is.

"And the media eats it up." He says and sounds like he's back to the present, next to her.

"We focused on me last night and I think we're pretty tied power-wise." Amazon says and he nods in agreement.

"Do you have any special powers of weaknesses I should know about? Mine is food, if that makes you want to 'fess up." She smiles and his breath catches in his throat, her attention is solely on him.

"Other than the fact you probably sleep in the day. No one's ever seen you in daylight. Either you have a dayjob or you really don't want a mask-tan." Amazon quips and he laughs.

"I can heal very quickly. My weaknesses aren't an issue. What kind of food is your weakness?" He wonders and she shakes her head.

"I wasn't serious. I just have a serious metabolism. If you ever have pizza, potstickers or my favorite coffee, beware." Amazon says and he laughs and makes a mental note of it.

"What kind of coffee?" He wonders and she pauses.

"Lots of cream and sugar. Pretty much anything sweet unless it doesn't sound good. Like I'm not going to try a taco coffee. But a mocha latte or one of those peppermint winter drinks they start selling way too early are usually my favorites. What about you?" She wonders. The city's quiet, and she trusts the man next to her. Not enough to reveal her secret identity yet, but, she trusts him to save her life. Neither of them are human.

"I usually take it plain. Blonde roasts have more caffeine but I'll drink any plain coffee with a good body to it." Inhuman says and she nods. In the silence she can hear his odd heartbeat, as she's sure he's noticed hers, he does have super hearing.

"Can I ask a personal question?" He wonders, shifting his legs.

"My favorite color's red." She tells him and he pauses.

"Yeah, sure. Go for it. Depending on what it is, I might not answer. A girl's got to have secrets, after all." Amazon tells him.

"You aren't human either are you?" He inquires and she inhales sharply and then sighs. She looks up, and then to him.

"How much do you support your space program?" She asks like they're discussing the weather.

"Quite a bit." Inhuman admits. Both as a superhero and the head of Mikaelson Enterprises.

"I wasn't born on this planet. I was born on another one, out of this galaxy. So no, I'm not human." Amazon confesses.

"Should we expect any more people from your planet?" Inhuman asks carefully.

"It's gone. I'm the only one left, that I know of. Last of my kind, last of my family. My sisters died there. My parents and everyone I had known for most of my life until I was a teenager died when our planet blew up. My parents had already sent me in a pod to try to escape it. My sisters were supposed to be next." She lets out a heavy sigh and he carefully moves and puts an arm around her, loosely.

"But I have human family here and I grew up on this planet. I don't want anyone to ever feel the way I did. The way I do. I will defend this planet until my last breath. This is my home." She sounds so fierce in that moment, so sure and strong.

"Thank you." She says, his arm is still loosely around her, she could get out of it if she wanted to, but she doesn't. She just wants to stay on the roof for another few minutes.

"I lost a sibling, a long time ago. I can't imagine how you must feel." Inhuman says in the silence and they both hear a scream in the city below.

"I'm going to grab your hands, okay? Last time I thought you were going to let go in mid-air." Amazon says and he nods. She holds his hands, strong and sure in hers, and they leap off the roof, and she keeps him upright as she flies to the source of screaming.

"Drop me." He says and she does, four men focusing on him. Elena makes sure she's right behind him, another barrier between them and the two women who were screaming.

"Amazon and Inhuman." One says and Elena nods.

"Do they have anything of yours?" Elena asks and they shake their heads.

"Then let's get you out of here." Elena says and the women let out sighs.

The women get a safe ride home with a quick phone call and she and Inhuman turn the men in.

It's late, and she needs to be at the top of her game in the morning.

"You won't tell anyone about-" Amazon trails off.

"No. Of course not. I keep secrets." He says and she relaxes.

"See you tomorrow night?" She asks and he grins slightly.

"Of course." He replies and the way her lips quirk he can tell she's going to make a joke.

"If you picked an owl symbol on your costume, you could have been called Night Owl." She quips and he laughs in the empty street as she flies away.

"Good to know I'm funny." She tells him, voice coming through the comm.

"Oh yeah. You're hilarious." He responds with a smile she can't see and she finally says goodnight.

"Goodnight." He echoes.

* * *

"It's on Saturday, remember? Are you going?" Elena wonders and Jeremy shrugs. Jeremy isn't very good with planning, but it usually works out, like the fact he brought dinner over because he wanted to see her.

"I don't know if I'm going this year. I might not bother." Jeremy's dividing Chinese food and she's rolling her eyes at him.

"It's a huge social event. You might meet someone interesting." Elena argues and he sighs at her.

"Stop nagging me and help me split the eggrolls and wontons." Jeremy says and Elena does.

"I know you're doing well with your art series, I'm just saying. A lot of artists are sponsored by the people at these type of events. And as Gilberts, we do have invitations." Elena says as she helps him divide the food and they settle on the couch. Jeremy starts the show they watch.

"You have a point." He admits after he finishes an eggroll.

"Course I do. I'm your big sister." Elena tells him as she bites into a potsticker. She'll need to go soon, but unless someone needs her, she's going to sit with her little brother and watch bad tv.

* * *

"You're bleeding." Amazon says, looking at him with concern, helping him lean against the brick wall. They're out of view of the reporters, of the police, of bystanders. The criminals are in police custody, and she's looking at him with focused eyes through her mask.

"Give me a minute. I'll heal." Inhuman says and she listens to an odd sound, making a pained face.

"Is that-" She begins but can't finish the thought.

"The sound of my ribs healing? Yes. I do apologize." He says. She exhales.

"You're going to be okay though, right? Is there anything I can do?" She asks and he shakes his head. The sound stops. He wipes the blood off his face, careful not to move his mask.

"I appreciate your concern but I'm fine now. You almost sound like you care." He says and she lets out a little laugh.

"Who else am I gonna save the city with? Besides, we watch each other's backs. Course I care about you." Amazon says and their eyes meet for a moment.

"We should go." He says and she nods. Someone will wonder where they've gone, and come looking for them. It's an alley, not a highly secure area.

"Have fun with your grappling hook. I'll see you on Mikaelson Enterprises." She tells him and she thinks he rolls his eyes, but isn't sure. It's another night, it passes like the others do.

* * *

"Something is keeping you up at night lately for the last week and a half. Spill." Caroline says and Elena shakes her head.

"It's just work." Elena excuses and Caroline rolls her eyes.

"Do you have a date for the charity ball Elijah Mikaelson's throwing?" Caroline asks and Elena shakes her head.

"I don't either. We should arrive together. It'd be fun." Caroline suggests and Elena smiles at that.

"I'd like that. Let's coordinate later." Elena says and Caroline beams at her, she really didn't want to find someone to go with last minute. Elena gets back to work but glances at Caroline. Maybe some day she'll tell people other than Jeremy that she's a superhero, but for now, just Jeremy is enough. Elena wonders if Inhuman's going, if he has a date. She doesn't know why she thinks of it and shakes her head before she focuses.

* * *

"I won't be available for part of Saturday night." She tells him. He turns his head.

"Date?" He guesses. She snorts.

"No. I'm going to an event with my brother. He wants me to be there for a bit and then I'll leave. You did this without me for ages. It'll be fine." She tells him and he realizes almost uncomfortably, that she's become part of his routine. A part of his routine he looks forward to. It's nice to have someone watch his back, nice to have a partner of sorts, nice to have someone to look out for.

"I was talking at work today and someone actually asked me if I knew anything about you. I had to hide a laugh." She tells him and a smile pulls at his lips. She knows quite a bit more than most, because he doesn't really talk about himself. Especially to reporters.

"Someone kept trying to tell me you were part of illegal testing on humans by the government a while ago." He admits. She laughs and he grins as they begin to talk about theories and news speculation on them. It's a quiet night, and he disappears for a few minutes, and she takes the opportunity to turn her comm on and fly.

"I'm getting an aerial view. I'd say I'm stretching my legs but-" She trails off and he laughs. He doesn't respond for a few minutes, she can't hear him, but it's city is calm and quiet. When she flies back to the roof, there's two cups of coffee in Inhuman's hands.

"I got us coffee." He says and hands her a cup. They watch the city, and drink their coffee in comfortable silence.

* * *

"I'm going to go talk to a friend over there." Jeremy says and she nods. Caroline keeps staring at a blonde man who's bound to come over eventually to talk to her, so Elena moves around. There's so many people moving around, dresses to avoid stepping on, men in tuxedos, the live music, it's a lot of noise to take in all at once. There's a familiar sound that she follows, it's Inhuman's heartbeat. He's around here somewhere and if she knows that, he must know it too. Her heartbeat doesn't exactly sound human either.

"Hello there." Inhuman says, but when she looks around, the familiar voice is coming from Elijah Mikaelson. Her eyes widen and she might as well go over and say hello, she did go looking for him after all. They both know their secret identities now, she knows when she looks into his eyes.

"I almost didn't recognize you." She grins and he chuckles. There's music playing and he offers his hand.

"May I have this dance?" He inquires and she nods.

It's easy to just dance, she trusts him to lead, it's his event after all. There are too many people around to talk properly, she wants to ask too many questions for being this close to the other pairs waltzing. They just dance and she doesn't think about much else, it's easy to relax. If something's going on, they'll know.

"When are you leaving?" She whispers, she knows he'll hear it.

"Is my party that boring to you?" Elijah teases and she rolls her eyes.

"I just like being out there. If you aren't going out tonight I am. I'll leave in a few minutes." Elena tells him and he looks so damn amused and it's really attractive but she doesn't let herself think about it.

"I'll leave after you do, stagger it so it doesn't look like we left together." He informs her quietly as the next song begins.

"Someone call 911!" A man shouts and Elena breaks away from Elijah to investigate and he follows her, the person yelling is a few rooms away. There are already two people on their phones and there's a woman on the ground with her eyes closed.

"I'm a doctor. What's wrong with her?" Another man steps forward and Elijah carefully pulls Elena back from the scene. He lets go of her arm and they watch the scene unfold along with other curious people.

"An ambulance will be here in two minutes." Someone says and Elena lets out a breath of relief.

"There are some things even we can't fix." Elijah murmurs quietly and she nods.

"See you on your building in a while?" Elena asks almost absentmindedly, still quietly.

"Yes. After I deal with a few things here." He says and Elena nods her head discreetly.

"I'm going to tell the people I came with that I'm going to leave." She tells him and he nods.

* * *

The city is quiet enough that she doesn't think to talk to Inhuman on the comm. It's still so odd to think he's Elijah Mikaelson. She pauses midair when she remembers asking Inhuman if they should go to the party, and the conversation that followed.

"Amazon?" A familiar voice comes through the comms and she sees him on the Mikaelson Enterprises building.

"I really should have figured that out. You're not exactly subtle, you know." Elena informs him and he chuckles.

"People miss what's right in front of them all the time." He says and she makes a noise of agreement.

"Does this change anything?" It's a question she couldn't ask at the ball, and she lands on the roof next to him.

"Not unless you want it to." Elijah says and she nods.

"Good." She says and that's that.

* * *

"I haven't seen you in a while. How are you?" Elena asks and Jeremy grins and hugs her.

"I didn't want to say anything in case it fell through, but I'm working on a project that's going to get published next month. Not supposed to talk about it but it's taking up a lot of my time." Jeremy says and Elena's careful to hug him gently.

"That's good. Sorry it's taking up a lot of your time though." Elena says and he lets go.

"Yeah but that's work. Besides I have a cute coworker who might be into me and I don't mind the hours." Jeremy says and Elena smiles and opens the pizza box on the kitchen counter.

"Details, now." She tells him and Jeremy laughs but begins to talk anyway.

* * *

It's easier to balance two lives as time goes on, Elena discovers. It's been a few months of routine and of being a hero, making tweaks every so often. Different routes, different buildings, Elijah gives her a utility belt not unlike his after the charity ball.

"How was your day?" Elena asks. Elijah shrugs.

"Mostly meetings. First time I've gotten to stretch my legs all day." He tells her.

"That makes my day sound awesome." Elena says as they watch the city for activity.

"There's a plane that's going to crash into the city in a few minutes." He says, and she can see the news on his phone.

"Take my cape." Elena already has it off and she's handing it to him.

"Good luck." His voice is intense and hushed all at once and she flies off the roof.

The burning passenger plane is bright against the night sky, even with all the lights of the city. He moves to get a closer view, to be closer. He can see the blue suit against the bottom of the plane, but the moment his heart stops is when the plane hits the empty bay, bottom first. There's a few ambulances who he watches arrive, but the plane blocks part of his view to see much else.

* * *

The other buildings aren't good vantage points and it's been almost half an hour. She's dead. Elena has to be dead or at the very least injured. He blinks and she's there, soaking wet and grinning with that damn smile, mask still in place and he embraces her.

"I thought you were dead. Or-" Elijah trails off.

"It might have killed a human but I'm fine. I was helping evacuate the plane and tried to help minimize environmental damage." She says and she feels him relax they break the hug and he speaks after a moment.

"Here's your cape back." Elijah says, handing her the mass of red fabric.

"Not bad for a day's work huh?" She wonders as she reattaches it to her costume.

"Not at all." He says.

"Glad we agree. Maybe we could get early breakfast later?" Elena wonders.

"Almost sounds like a date." Elijah teases.

"It could be if you want it to be." She shrugs but they both know they're watching each other's reactions.

"I would like that. Very much." He says and they watch the streets. That's that, things are how they should be. The city is safe, he and Elena are on a rooftop, and the stars look particularly beautiful.


	39. Solo

AN: The prompt for this chapter is: A story with only one character. Elena crashes her car around summer in s4. Also I haven't watched s4, so this doesn't follow any of that. Technically with just flashbacks, this story only has Elena and her thoughts. Please review! I love them and they make me update quickly!

* * *

She wakes up underwater, hair floating in the water. Her phone's obviously useless and there's too much pain for this to just be another nightmare. Elena tries to hold her breath and open a window, the windshield, anything. Unlike the nightmares, it's just her, this is her car. She actually _remembers_ unlike in the nightmares, and unbuckles her seat belt and gets the headrest from the passenger seat and breaks the window like in the videos she's watched over and over showed her to. The window shatters and she pushes the glass away with the headrest as she slips through the window, up through the water to the surface. Air. Elena realizes she has too much water in her lungs and coughs it up violently.

When her lungs are full of just air and she's sitting on shore she takes a breath. Her phone is dead from water damage and she realizes she should be dead too. That should have killed her. Goosebumps appear on her skin and she realizes she's going to have to walk home again, like the night Stefan almost drove them off the bridge.

Elena pauses as she's on the bridge, she can remember driving off to try and avoid the deer on the bridge, a family, but she woke up underwater. She might have died. She had Caroline's blood when she accidentally cut herself the day before. It sinks in like how her car sank to the bottom of the river. She did die. Again. Elena begins to walk to town anyway, soaking wet and with a decision to make. She's thirsty and she knows that she has to make a decision. Drink human blood and live forever, or die.

So many things end with either choice. If she's a vampire, things will continue, she'll still be around to see Jeremy grow up and live a life like the one she wanted so desperately. She'll need blood though, along with someone to help teach her how to be undead. If she dies, Jeremy will have to bury her, but the Gilbert family plot is full and she's not sure if anyone else can handle another funeral. She doesn't want to spend her last hours coordinating her funeral. Elena feels like she's died twice but she's barely even lived yet.

Being undead means not having children, it means not growing old, it means she can't stay one place for the rest of her life. Once she realized she was the only person who could keep the Petrova line going though, that decision had been made. There wouldn't be another doppelganger to be hunted or used like she was or any Petrovas to be tracked. It ends with her.

In the quiet of the night, she understands what Caroline meant about seeing what she was compelled to forget. Damon. Damon compelled her to forget-a lot of things. Elena's hand moves to where her necklace used to be before she gave it back to Rebekah. She wonders who can compel her now, and why Damon confessed his love for her, why Damon made her forget so many things. The memory makes her cringe, it's a good thing Damon didn't let her speak. Elena doesn't love him. Elena will never love him.

Elena met him the night her parents died and she wasn't very impressed with him then, either. He stared at her like the way she's seen him stare at Katherine. Maybe all she ever was to him was a replacement. She's not Tatia, she's not Katherine, she's Elena.

That's not all she remembers. There are other times she's been compelled, with Stefan, and once with Elijah. Stefan compelled her to forget him rescuing her, she remembers watching him dive back into the water, and watching him come back up in the inky water alone.

"Where are my parents?" She demanded and he opened his mouth but nothing came out.

"Oh no. No. No." She had begun crying, and he moved too close too quickly.

"You won't remember me or how you got to safety. You'll wake up when someone comes to investigate." Stefan said and she nodded, before her eyes closed. No wonder she had a huge gap of time she couldn't account for that night. The doctors said it might have been damage from the crash, temporary amnesia or memory loss. She should have known better, she thinks as she tries to not focus on her socks drying in her converse, and how gross the feeling of having her wet clothes slowly dry feels against her skin.

Elijah had left Mystic Falls with his family not long after the ball, after his mother had been defeated. He left her a letter, about honor and understanding and he had signed it with always and forever. There had also been a phone number she could never bring herself to dial. Elijah's just-unattainable.

She had just gotten done brushing her teeth and getting ready for bed, Elena remembers that her necklace was on her nightstand. She remembers smiling at him as he sat on her window seat. She still had wet hair, but she hadn't remembered to put her necklace on, it was just Elijah and she was in her pajamas. She smiled and opened her mouth, they had been on good terms before his family left.

"Elijah- are you-" She had begun and he shook his head, no.

"I'm not staying. Merely checking in to see how you're doing." He said sand he watched part of her smile fade and he didn't know why it bothered him so much.

"Oh. Well I'm fine. You can go, if that's all you came to do." Elena had said and he stood up, and he walked closer and her heartbeat sped up a little too much to be normal. Elijah being in her personal space- always gets her excited and almost nervous.

Those dark eyes were on hers and she swallows, she'd almost forgotten how intense he could be. Elijah stared and Elena decided to be brave. Make the first move, so to speak. Her lips touched his and they kissed.

"You don't want me." Elijah said, quietly after he broke it off, and Elena stared at him with a look he had only ever seen directed to the Salvatores.

"You don't know what I want. For being pretty pro "let Elena make her own choices" you don't seem to agree with the choice I just made." She pointed out and he had bitten his lip, her eyes had followed the movement.

"You deserve someone who can make you happy. Give you the human life you want so much. Be normal, move on from the supernatural like you told me you wanted." Elijah said and Elena swallowed again. Her wants and dream have changed since that confession, and his eyes flickered to her nightstand.

Elena remembers looking at him with wide, trusting eyes.

"Forget this. Forget I came here tonight. Put your necklace back on and sleep, lovely Elena." He sounded almost pained, hushed, but she's never heard him sound anything but composed.

Elena has a while until she gets back to town, but she knows who she's calling first.


	40. Two Can Keep A Secret

AN: The prompt for this chapter is: A story about a secret. This is a soulmate au where soulmates are born with matching marks in the same place. I rewatched for this and dialed down the death count of sacrifice night, if it looks like it's from the show it probably is, I borrowed a few lines of dialogue in this. Please review!

* * *

Elena knows. A moment of weakness and idiocy, he knows. A slip of pushing up his sleeve, to show the matching mark on his wrist. Her eyes widen and attempt to meet his but he's already leaving. She didn't accept that he just wanted to save her from dying permanently at Klaus's hands. Elena was just going to keep pushing, that much was clear. He lets out a sigh. Their status-public knowledge soon enough.

* * *

The pull she feels-makes sense. Elena wondered if she had felt something wrong but he recognized it too when they first met. She wonders how long he's known, if that's part of the reason she pulled the dagger out of him a few hours ago. The pieces click together, and she wonders what Elijah thinks of her. Klaus is coming, and she feels oddly calm as she thinks about it. Elijah will keep her safe. The next morning though, they're going to have to talk. And with everyone staying at the Boarding House, it's not going to be fun to try and carve a slice of time out for them.

* * *

She can't sleep. But if her guess is right and the faint feeling of premonition is right, Elijah's nearby. She's not going to say his name and risk Stefan and Damon investigating, but she does look through her window. She points to the backyard and she thinks he nods. Elena wraps a sweater around herself and grabs socks and her Converse. It's kind of worrying how quickly and quietly she gets through the house and to the backyard. She's putting on her Converse on the brick steps, and he's moving closer so she can actually see him. She wonders why he walks at a human speed.

"Can we talk?" She whispers and he shakes his head and points like she did the day before.

"Let's go somewhere else." He whispers back, and Elena had felt a little ridiculous trying to be so quiet, but apparently it was the right move. Elena nods and her laces are tied and he offers his hand and she takes it. They're in the woods before she can blink and his hand slips out of hers.

"So we're-" Elena moves up her sleeve and he shows his mark for her to inspect.

"Yes." His reply is quiet, his voice reminds her of the day they met.

"How long have you known?" She wonders, trying to think of days she revealed enough skin for him to see the mark.

"Right before Damon killed me. The first time." He says and she stills.

"Do you know if the elixir will work?" This question makes her try to find his eyes in the dark,

"There's a chance it won't work. There are a few other options I can think of, but none of them will be very pleasant." Elijah admits and she opens her mouth.

"Becoming a vampire or having someone else's life be taken in place of yours with magic. Neither of which suit you and vampire blood renders the elixir useless." He says and she bites her lip and nods.

"Are we keeping this-us-a secret?" Elena asks and his eyes widen slightly.

"You didn't tell them?" His voice is full of interest.

"It's private. I figured it shouldn't just be me outing us." Elena says.

"I think it'd be wise to keep this secret for now." He admits and she nods.

* * *

"The sacrifice is going to happen tonight." Alaric says and Elena can tell Elijah's eyes are on her back. This is going to lead to discussion, they need to know everything Alaric does. Interestingly enough, when everyone settles, Elena knows Elijah's standing right next to her chair. The others can brush it off because Elijah's been in been in everyone's space but she glances back for a quick second. Damon has been too quiet for this conversation.

"Where's Damon?" Elena wonders and gets up despite better judgement to go to his room.

"We're talking about plans. What's going to happen after the sacrifice. Elijah can't kill Klaus. It might end up killing you guys. Everyone from Klaus's bloodline. You, Stefan, Caroline." Elena tells him and he shrugs.

"Sounds fake. I came up here to stop hearing you talk like you're going to be alive tomorrow morning with this ridiculous plan. Yet here you are." Damon says and Elena rolls her eyes.

"Then you should have left the house because I'm pretty sure you can still hear them talking from here." Elena retorts.

"You're going to die and be dead. As in corpse dead, as in not coming back dead!" Damon's voice gets louder with each word.

"There are other options, but this is the best one. I'd rather you be downstairs with everyone else. We might need backup plans. If you actually want to help, the rest of us will be downstairs." Elena is crossing the threshold of his room when she's pressed to the wall.

"Damon?" One word-so full of fear. Elijah's up the stairs before Stefan even moves. His eyes are so dark-the light blue irises are a startling contrast in the second she sees them.

She's moved and she's out of the room. She lets out a sigh, relieved. Jenna and Alaric aren't far behind and Elena cluthes at Jenna, relieved. She's not going to be a vampire. She's going to die tonight, but she won't come back as a vampire. She can't hear what Elijah and Stefan are saying, but as her heartbeat steadies, Elena lets go of Jenna. Alaric and Jenna have matching marks on their shoulders, at least their marks aren't so obvious as some others.

"I trust you have this under control?" Elijah says smoothly and Stefan nods and Elijah walks to Elena, eyes on hers. There are too many eyes watching, but she sees the concern before he tells her he'll be back before nightfall.

* * *

His hand is wrapped around her arm as they follow Klaus. She wants to wrap her hand around his, make sure his mark isn't fake, maybe he's just leading her to her death despite everything. Then he rubs his thumb right where her mark is and the panic fades. Elijah will do what needs to be done. Calm settles over her with a few goosebumps. She can see Jules and Katherine. Elijah's hand is firm and still and she watches him move around as she's trapped in a ring of fire. At least everyone else is safe at home, only Bonnie and Elijah are the ones who will keep her safe. This will be okay. Elena is glad her jacket thoroughly covers her wrist as Klaus kills Jules, then Katherine. She wonders if Elijah can hear how loud her heart is.

* * *

Elijah picked her up when it was over, carried her home before Greta and Klaus were dealt with. Greta was knocked out and Bonnie magicked Klaus into a coffin after Elijah daggered him. Or at least that's what Stefan says as she realizes she's on her couch, everyone looking at her. Elena can feel dried tears on her cheeks, but everyone's fine.

"Where's Elijah? What'd he do with Klaus?" Elena asks and Bonnie bites her lip.

"He's gone. We don't know where he is or what he did with Greta or Klaus. But he's gone. It's over." Bonnie says and Elena looks at the people around.

"We all made it through?" She asks and Jenna smiles at her.

"Even John who doesn't know this happened yet. We're fine." Jenna assures her and Elena smiles, but some of her thoughts still drift to Elijah.

"Elijah's probably hiding Klaus's body and getting Greta back to her family. The Martins." Elena says and Damon shoots her an odd look but she ignores it.

* * *

It's been a long day, Elena almost misses the letter peeking out from one of the pillows on her window seat.

 _Elena,_

 _I have business to take care of outside of Mystic Falls. I will return to you._

 _Always and forever,_

 _Elijah._

It's short but her room isn't always private. It doesn't reveal very much to anyone else, but he's coming back. Elijah promised, and he's a man of his word. He'll be back, she thinks as she sits on the window seat. Elena just wonders when.

* * *

It's June when Elena can tell Elijah's back in town. She's up the stairs and in her room as he sits on her window seat.

"You're back." Elena smiles.

"Back for good." He tells her and her smile widens.

"Should we come out? I don't think Stefan and Damon will be particularly thrilled to have an Original back in town." She'd rather not see them go against Elijah. Things have been almost normal lately. Elijah grins and lets out a laugh. It's a new sound, she's pretty sure she's never heard her soulmate laugh before.

"I found my family. There are four Originals in Mystic Falls at the moment." He tells her and her eyes widen.

"I thought they were gone forever. I thought it was just you and Klaus." She says and he shakes his head.

"Klaus confessed before I daggered him that they were hidden. Not lost. I found them." Elijah tells her.

Maybe summer won't be so quiet after all.


	41. Romance to Tragedy

The prompt for this chapter is: A romance that ends in tragedy. Sorry for the way this chapter makes Elijah look. Bonus Klaroline and Kennett.

* * *

Liking Elijah isn't a good idea. It's probably not a smart one, anyway. Elijah's never shown any interest in her and everything's still crazy from his family coming back. Elena still steals glances at him when she can though. Elijah turns his head and Elena looks back at Caroline and Bonnie.

"You're so obvious." Caroline chides Elena who turns red, hoping Elijah isn't looking at them. Bonnie rolls her eyes at them.

"You're both obvious." She corrects and Caroline looks surprised. Elena sips at her water.

"We all know you're into one of the Mikaelsons, Care. And it's not Elijah, we all know who called dibs." Bonnie says and Elena tries not to choke.

" _No one called dibs."_ Elena says quietly.

"Right, so if _no one_ knew that Elijah is probably going to that ball that's coming up with someone else, _she_ wouldn't be just a little jealous?" Caroline asks and Elena sighs. The Grill is busy and Elijah probably isn't paying attention to them, but he checks his phone before Klaus and Kol arrive and sit with him.

"Have either of you gotten dresses yet?" Elena asks and they shake their heads.

"I've been too busy with homework, especially that essay due next week." Caroline says and Elena groans.

"We've been working on that for weeks and it's the most boring topic he could possibly pick. I'm so over it." Elena says and the topic of the Mikaelsons is forgotten.

* * *

"Did Bonnie mention me?" Kol wonders, eyes moving to the table she's sitting at with her friends.

"Not yet. Which Mikaelson does Caroline fancy?" Klaus pretends he's not interested, that he's just making conversation. Kol rolls his eyes.

"It's not me and Elena apparently called _dibs_ on Elijah. What's dibs?" Kol asks, raising an eyebrow. Klaus grins and Elijah resists the urge to sigh.

* * *

"Elena." Elijah says, and she smiles.

"Elijah." She says and he voices what he's thinking.

"What are you doing today?" He asks.

"I was trying to see if I got break my writer's block and work on an assignment I have by going out." Elena says.

"Has that helped?" He inquires and she shakes her head.

"No. And I need caffeine. Do you want to maybe grab coffee?" Elena knows her heartbeat is a little too fast but it's always been like that around Elijah. He probably knows what it means, but is too polite to tell her he's uninterested. She's already preparing herself for him to say no when he says yes.

"Coffee is a marvelous thing." He says and they walk together.

"What's the assignment about?" Elijah asks and she begins telling him about all of it, from her horrible English teacher to the boring topic. He wonders if he's coming off too strong, how exactly Elena called "dibs" on him and if she's accompanying someone to the ball.

* * *

"You're sure?" Caroline is staring at him with intense eyes.

"Love, Elijah's so in love with "lovely Elena" he isn't going to the ball with anyone else. If he can't get Elena, he'll go alone." Klaus says and Caroline's eyes soften and a smile reaches her eyes before a new look appears.

"We should help get them together." Caroline says and Klaus laughs, to her confusion.

"Elijah doesn't want "help". I think he'd be quite insulted to hear you think he needs any assistance in wooing the woman he's in love with." Klaus says.

"Fine." Caroline sighs. Klaus shifts the topic back to something he actually wants to talk about.

"Are you going to the ball with anyone?"

* * *

"Have you told anyone else?" Elena asks, carefully.

"Just you. My siblings enjoy having her back, but I'm not convinced she means well." Elijah confesses. Elena freezes.

"When I recieved my invitation-she added a note to the back. She wants to talk to me the night of the ball." Elena tells him. Elijah doesn't immediately respond so she continues.

"She tried to have me killed, and used Matt's sister to do it. Before you and your siblings were undaggered." Elena confesses and his eyes move to hers.

"She might just try to exterminate us all." He says and Elena closes her eyes for a moment.

"Of course. Someone wants to kill people I care about and me. Just another Saturday." Elena sounds so tired and weary as she says it.

"I give you my word that I will end this. I will stop my mother." Elijah says and she nods. Elijah keeps his word, it's reassuring.

"Guess we have planning to do." She says.

* * *

"I'm so tired and I think it's magic related." Bonnie complains to him. Kol looks up from the pile of grimoires he's looking through.

"Did that ever happen to you? When you practiced magic?" She asks, looking through a grimoire for answers. His answer makes her look up.

"No. Unless I had done a large spell recently, if I had helped someone with a spell using my magic or if someone used me as an anchor." He says and they have the same idea.

"Is it possible someone's doing that to me?" Bonnie asks and Kol nods. He'll ask about accompanying her to the ball later, this takes precedence. The ball is a few weeks after all.

* * *

"I think it'd be safest if I went to the ball with you. We wouldn't be quite so suspicious." Elijah says, keeping his tone even and his hope out of it.

"I agree, but is there someone you were going to ask?" Elena wonders and he looks so amused.

"You. I was already planning on asking you." Elijah divulges and she exhales.

"Right. Your mom trying to kill us all probably put that into motion." Elena brushes it off and he gracefully shakes his head in disagreement.

"I wanted to ask you because I had originally planned to regardless of my mother." Elijah says.

"Like as a date? Not a plan?" Elena doesn't want to get her hopes up.

"If you want to call it a _date_ I wouldn't be opposed to that." Elijah says and he sits next to her on the couch. Elena looks at him for a moment and leans forward to kiss him.

* * *

"So we know someone's using my magic and potentially my mom's-but how to we stop them? How do we figure out who's doing it?" Bonnie asks.

"I need to talk to Elijah and see if he has any contacts I can get in touch with." Kol sighs.

"It might just be another Bennett or someone who doesn't know what they're doing. Or it could be someone who's going to be a pain in our asses." Kol says as he texts Elijah.

 _"Our?_ " Bonnie raises an eyebrow.

"Like I'm letting you deal with this alone." Kol says and he misses the smile that appears on her face as he reads Elijah's reply.

* * *

A week passes with plans made but no answers. Elijah debates asking Elena to stay home from the ball, but she slips her fingers into his and he looks at her instead of the window. His worry is placed in the back of his mind as he responds to Elena's questions and attempts to relax.

* * *

"So you're going with Elijah and Caroline's going with Klaus?" Bonnie asks. Elena and Elijah aren't very big on PDA, but Bonnie can just tell they love each other when they have a few inches between them, Elijah leaning over Elena's shoulder to look at something or Elena's hand on his. Caroline and Klaus roll their eyes at each other and Caroline will take up a little too much of Klaus's space but he never seems to mind. Kol is always telling her stories or about something that reminded him of her, and the way they lounge together on her couch makes her think that _forever_ doesn't seem like such a bad idea. Bonnie could spend forever on her couch with Kol watching bad tv and good movies. They don't hide that they're together but she hasn't actually told Elena or Caroline yet.

"Time for you to go ask _your_ Mikaelson out." Elena jokes and Bonnie bites her lip.

"He asked and I said yes. I think something's up." Bonnie says.

"With Kol? Or something's trying to kill us again?" Elena asks.

"Someone's messing with my magic. Plus Esther being back is putting Kol a little on edge." Bonnie admits as the doorbell rings. Elena gets up to answer the door, to see a delivery truck driving away.

"Who is it?" Bonnie asks.

"More like _what_ is it?" Elena says and picks up the box on her doorstep. Bonnie shuts the door as Elena carries the box to the coffee table.

"I think it's a dress." Elena says as she holds the mass of fabric up.

"There's a note!" Bonnie picks the piece of paper out of the box before Elena can.

"Elena-you mentioned you hadn't found a dress yet-" Bonnie imitates Elijah and Elena plucks the note out of Bonnie's hands and into her pocket.

"It's gorgeous." Bonnie says and Elena grins.

* * *

"You're breathtaking." Klaus says and Caroline snorts.

"Of course I am." She says and Klaus offers her his hand. They need to go, but Caroline wants to ask him something, before they can't speak completely freely.

"Is something up? Bonnie and Elena have been acting a little weird lately." She asks.

"Not to my knowledge. I'll ask. Nothing will ruin tonight." Klaus promises and Caroline lets go of the doubt in the back of her mind, the feeling that something was actually wrong.

* * *

Elena takes another sip of the champagne as he talks to Klaus. Caroline stands next to her and they look at the brothers they're in love with. It's been a few too many dances for Elena, so they took a break. She spoke to Esther, who had apologized for having her killed. Elijah still looked skeptical when she told him that, but it's been a good night. They danced, they kissed when he picked her up and the last few weeks have been perfect.

"We should have a sleepover tonight. Talk about stuff. You, me and Bonnie." Elena suggests.

"I'll text my mom and Bonnie. I think Kol might have her phone because she doesn't have pockets though." Caroline says and Elena's vision blurs for a moment.

"Something's wrong. My eyes-" Elena says and her grip slips and her flute of champagne hits the floor before she almost does.

"Elena?" Elijah catches her, there are too many people watching. Elena stills, heart slowing in his arms within seconds. She takes a breath and her heart stops completely, eyes looking into his, full of fear.

"Oh my god. No, no, no." Caroline begins to sob because she can hear it, _Elena's not breathing. Elena's heart isn't beating. Elena's gone._ Elijah looks at Bonnie. They both know who's responsible, what's going to come next. Klaus begins to get the guests out of the house, Elijah's going to kill their mother.

 _"I failed you."_ Elijah says to Elena. He closes his eyes for a moment. Another doomed love, another doomed doppelganger, another funeral for her loved ones.

It wasn't supposed to be this way.

They were supposed to have so much more time.


	42. Tragedy to Romance

AN: The prompt for this chapter is: A tragedy that ends in romance. I actually wrote this one before 41 which was super weird. Anyway, texts are in italics.

* * *

 _Elena Gilbert is dead. She's being transferred to the hospital morgue for an autopsy._ Elijah rereads the text and closes his eyes. Elena. Elena Gilbert is dead. Dead. She never wanted to be a vampire, there's no chance of her coming back, he knows. He's already on his way to Mystic Falls, time is of the essence.

 _How did she die?_ Anyone who hurt her or led to her death-he's already thinking of the painful possibilities.

 _Car accident. Her neck was broken from the crash. She crashed into a tree. Their guess is she swerved to avoid someone or something in the road._

Elijah's knuckles are white as he drives.

* * *

There's already a group of her loved ones in the morgue, staring at her body.

It doesn't seem real to them just yet, it hasn't hit yet. Jeremy has tears coming out of his eyes, but he doesn't make any noise as Caroline and Bonnie snare him in a hug. He just keeps staring, hoping, praying.

"Elijah." Stefan sounds surprised.

"It's true then." Elijah notes, quietly. Caroline sniffles and is trying not to let any tears fall, but her mascara begins to run anyway.

"They're going do uh-they're going to do the autopsy on her in the morning." Stefan says in the near quiet of the room. Bonnie looks at Elena, neck at an unnatural angle and hates herself and hates the situation. She should have done something, they should have been able to prevent this, after all they've been through. Elena shouldn't be on that cold metal. Elijah hears footsteps coming to the room, and looks up from Elena for a moment.

"Sorry to kick you all out, but you need to leave. Go home." The man says and Caroline shoots him a nasty look through her tears.

"Come on." Damon prods his brother to move, but Elijah knows he barely looked up from Elena either. Stefan is first to leave, followed by the others. Damon and Elijah are left and a knowing look passes between them. Elijah is there to pay his respects, not to fight, not to start anything. They leave Elena alone, and Elijah doesn't pay attention to where the others go.

* * *

Elena lived a handful of years longer than Katerina or Tatia as a human. When the hospital is quieter, a half hour later, he goes to see her again.

He's quiet as he begins to speak, it's not like she'll actually hear him.

"I can't believe you're gone." He confesses and tears begin to escape his eyes without his permission. It feels like the room is spinning, like the planet tilted just to see if he could stay on his feet. His throat is tight and he exhales slowly.

"You deserved so much better. You deserved the world and the stars and everything the cosmos has to offer." He says in the silence, eyes closing. His heart is a graveyard, full of those he's loved and lost. He didn't expect to add Elena to that so soon. He thought perhaps in sixty years, seventy years. Elena should have had more time.

"You deserved so much better than what life gave you, the unfair hand you were dealt." He can't die. He can't die without causing so many others to perish, if only for that and his family. There are times like this he wishes he could. His grief and love for her- it's overwhelming. There's a noise of bone scraping against bone and he looks up from the floor, and it looks like she moved, slightly.

"Elena?" His voice full of reverence and hope as he watches and waits for a few moments.

* * *

The car hitting the tree, she remembers how her scream echoed even though she was the only one to hear it. Her neck feels sore, and if she's in a hospital bed, they're much less comfortable than she remembers. Elena sits up and looks around, hand rubbing at her neck. Elijah is staring at her with an open mouth and _tears_. Elijah is crying for some reason and she stares at him.

"Are you okay? Where are we?" She asks gently, eyes not leaving him.

"We're in the morgue. You-you died." He says, but she's never seen or heard him so vulnerable looking. He looks like a mess, even when he undaggered him he was composed. Or at least, more composed than the open book he is now.

"What? I-it was just a car crash. I was fine." Her voice shakes.

"You broke your neck on impact. And you had vampire blood in your system. Somehow." His voice isn't steady.

"I haven't had vampire blood in a while. I went to the hospital because I passed out yesterday, but that shouldn't have done anything but Doctor Fell said I'd be fine." She tells him and her eyes widen as they come to the same conclusion.

"Doctor Fell must have given me vampire blood." It explains why she felt fine after she woke up, she didn't think it was serious but Jeremy had insisted she go.

"Are you going to-" Elijah trails off. Elena looks at him with her eyebrows furrowed.

"What?" She asks.

"Transition. Become a vampire." His voice is still unsteady, avoiding her eyes for some reason.

"Yeah, I am." Elena says and he looks up like she just gave him the moon.

"I'll need help, but-I don't want to die. Not for real. And Jeremy needs me." Elena tells him and there's a breath before he asks what he wants because he _needs_ to know.

"You used to want to stay human. Have children and grow old." He sounds almost wistful as he reminds her of that. Almost.

"I realized that if I ever had biological children, eventually another doppelganger would be produced. I decided a few years ago that the Petrova line ended with me." Elena looks at the hospital floor for a moment, at her Converse and his shiny shoes.

"And yeah, I wanted to be human. Growing old sounded nice. But I can't leave Jeremy alone. And I don't think he's far from turning either, he and Anna have been getting pretty serious lately. I can't leave him without any family left. And I've barely lived yet. " Elena rattles off the reasons and looks up at him. He's composed again, much to her disappointment. Elijah as an open book was a rare experience.

"We should get out of here." Elena looks around the morgue and back to Elijah. He nods.

"Vervain is out of the water supply for now." Elena says, and he nods as they make their escape.

* * *

If Elena hadn't just died, she'd make a joke about how the group hug she's trapped in is smothering her to death. Elijah's a safe distance away, and she knows that the Salvatores would probably mean well, they wouldn't be good at training her. Caroline has a lot on her plate already, which leaves Elijah. She'll ask him later as everyone begins to leave, and she might ask if he cares that much.

Elijah's always been a closed book to her. But with a peek of the pages, she knows he cares about her more than he lets on, and she's wondering if he feels the same way she does. Elijah's eyes meet hers for a second and she knows things will be fine, he'll be there.


	43. Movie

AN: The prompt for this chapter is: A retelling of a recent Hollywood movie. So I picked SUICIDE SQUAD! So I haven't been to the movies very lately, but I did see Suicide Squad which counts as a recent movie in my book. So the gist of Suicide Squad is that a woman named Amanda Waller builds a team of bad guys to basically be a "suicide squad" to take down something that wants to destroy the world, if it goes bad, they blame the bad guys. If it goes well (and spoiler alert, it partially does in my opinion), the bad guys get time off their prison sentences and a few other things. So I'm not doing another superhero/comics thing here, just taking the "we need people to stop the end of the world" thing out and putting it here. This is shorter than I hoped and I've messed with it a lot and I'm still not happy with it but it's done at least!

* * *

"Elena. You need to get over here. Can you call Elijah? I'm asking Caroline to get Klaus. Wear clothes you can fight in." Bonnie is short and to the point, and the worry in her voice is enough to make a flash of fear run through Elena before she responds.

"I can get him. We'll be over in ten-Bonnie-what's going on?" Elena asks.

"Someone's trying to end the world, if I'm right and there's not a whole lot of room for error here." Bonnie says and Elena's blood runs cold.

* * *

"The end of the world? Many have attempted it, but obviously never succeeded." Elijah says as Elena drives away from his house.

"But Bonnie doesn't joke about this type of stuff. She didn't even say hello, she just called and told me that. I don't know how we're supposed to stop it." Elena admits and Elijah nods.

"So you called me and Caroline's in charge of getting Klaus-I'm sure Bonnie already has Kol on hand. Should I expect Rebekah?" He inquires and she shakes her head. Neither of them think of Finn and Sage who moved away together as soon as they could, years ago.

"We didn't call Rebekah because she's not in the States and this is apparently local." Elena tells him and he raises an eyebrow as she parks. It's not odd to see him out of a suit, it's just odd to see him in all black. Even when Elijah taught her how to fight he was still wearing suits most days. Elena smiles at the memory, Elijah helped her transition and learn how to be a vampire. Despite that, she's never tried to make a move to see if he likes her too. She can't risk ruining their relationship. Now's definitely not the time Elena thinks as she glances at him.

* * *

"So some witch got possessed by some ancient evil goddess that was put in a statue centuries ago, the statue was broken and she's released. And since she's awake she's mad she doesn't receive worship anymore so she's going to kill us all?" Caroline asks and Kol nods.

"Pretty much sums it up." He says and Caroline swears.

"So how are we going to stop this?" Klaus asks as he hears Elena opens Bonnie's front door. Elena and Elijah join them in her living room.

"That's where you come in. I think Kol and I can find out where exactly she is-and if we can get that statue fixed, I can put her back in. The city's already being evacuated, but the news is saying it's a gas leak or something. It's not." Bonnie says and Elijah looks at Elena.

"So it's probably just the few of us?" Caroline asks.

"We know what's going on. But the soldiers who are there to evacuate and the normal people-they can't handle this. They don't even know this stuff exists. We're the best bet. I'll be here going through spellbooks with another witch to find the right spell and I'll talk to Kol through an earpiece to keep you guys updated." Bonnie tells them and Klaus looks at her.

"Let's get this over with." He says and Elena can't say she disagrees.

"I'm driving." Kol says and Elena's glad she's immortal-she's never seen Kol drive before.

"Okay, I can see why everyone's screaming." Caroline mutters as they get out of the car. The city's on fire in some places, and it looks like the aftermath of a natural disaster with huge masses of what looked like a black moss clinging to buildings, cars, even the mostly empty streets. The sun's beginning to set in the sky, but the street in front of them is too distracting to look that for more than a few seconds.

"Did that just move?" Elena asks, pointing to a mass stuck to what used to be a pristine bank building.

It moves like tar, slow and leaving traces of itself on what it touches.

"It kind of looks like a body." Caroline says as it forms a shape.

"No heartbeat though." Kol says and removes the head in seconds. Black slime oozes out from where the head used to be and Kol shakes his hand to get rid of it.

"Let's get moving." Elijah says.

The next street is devoid of any other life.

"I have directions for you to get to the witch." Bonnie begins and Kol laughs.

"I don't think that we're gonna need directions." He says and he can practically see Bonnie raise an eyebrow.

"There's a huge magic beam coming out of a building. Think we have it covered." Kol says.

"Okay. We're still trying to find the right spell for the statue. My go-to didn't work on it." Bonnie tells him and Kol sighs.

"They're working on it." Kol says to the rest of them.

* * *

"Of course an army of them is guarding the building." Caroline complains as the monsters begin to move.

"Less talking and more fighting." Klaus says and she punches a hole into a monster's head, black slime clinging to her fingertips in sticky strings. Caroline makes a noise of disgust and moves onto the next one.

"Duck!" Elena shouts and Elijah does, and she kills one behind him.

"Thanks." He says as he plunges his hand into the chest of another one.

"No heart." He observes and Elena takes the head off.

"I always have your back." Elena says and he nods.

Kol is entertaining to watch decimate the local monster population, he's getting creative and covered in that black slime that might be monster blood. Elena wonders how he can stand it, but he's Kol.

"I've got the statue fixed. I don't want to start the spell until you have a visual on her." Bonnie says and Kol repeats the information before he responds to Bonnie.

"Got it. Wait a few minutes. We'll be there soon enough." Kol says and they finish killing the rest of the monsters around before they head in.

* * *

The goddess is waving her arms and chanting in a language Elena's pretty sure is older than even the Mikaelsons with a few of the black tar monsters standing next to her.

"We each take one and Bonnie should be able to take her out, right?" Elijah says and Kol nods.

"Bon, we're looking at her. Start now." He says and Bonnie makes a noise of approval before he moves to take out the monsters.

"Mortals." The goddess hisses in a voice that sounds too deep to come out of the body she's occupying.

"Immortals." Klaus corrects as they take down the few monster guards. She raises her hands at him but nothing happens. The glowing beam of light is fading, making the room darker with each passing second.

"No." The word escapes the goddess in a drawn out scream, the light stops and Kol catches her before she hits the ground. They'll take her with them when they leave, get her back home when she can wake up and tell them where that is.

"Bonnie?" Kol asks, and he hears a sigh in his ear.

"It's done. It's good. Get out of the city before someone catches you." Bonnie reminds him.

"So that was as easy as really, really nasty cake." Caroline says and Klaus laughs. Elena looks to Elijah and he hands her a handkerchief with a grin.


	44. Worry

AN: So the prompt was: A story that takes place the year you were born. But I ended up with a story about worry/two sides to the same story. I know it's short, sorry!

* * *

Elijah has to know, Elena thinks about it from the day they first kiss to the present day. Elena's nothing really special other than being a carbon copy of two Petrovas. It's painful but it's honest in her eyes. He doesn't seem to pick up on how painfully ordinary and human she feels sometimes especially next to him. He just kisses what he can reach and pulls her back from the land of thinking too much.

This time, it's her neck and part of her shoulders that are exposed with the cut of her dress.

"What are you thinking about?" Elijah asks. She's always truthful when he asks about it, there's no point in lying.

"Just thinking about the future." Elena answers easily and he pulls her back to reality, he always does. Elena wonders if he knows like he knows everything else. Elena worries that she's average, easily forgotten-she's still unsure about becoming a vampire and she and Elijah have only been together for a few years. Elijah's never pushed the idea of her becoming a vampire, but if she dies human, he'll move on and _forget_ her. The idea feels like someone broke a few of her ribs to squeeze her heart with their hand.

He's immortal, seen everything and everyone in his long life. Elena wonders some nights when she can't sleep if she could slip away, save them both the pain. Those nights though, Elijah has an unmovable arm around her or she can't escape his embrace. If she really thinks about it, Elena's not sure she could even make herself move or leave, even if she wanted to. There are moments though, where she knows he's going to think about something after she's gone, her favorite songs and the way she looks in his clothes, the way she looked in the morning.

Elena wonders if she competes with ghosts, how many of his former lovers have done things she has. She won't ask those questions though, not only are they a little tasteless, it might ruin breakfast. Sometimes Elena feels more bitter than some of the coffee Elijah drinks. They haven't gotten past drinking coffee, they need to make breakfast eventually.

"Mmmm. You're thinking. Do you want me to fix that?" Elijah wonders, and Elena smiles.

"I think I could be persuaded into having breakfast later." Elena says and he smirks.

* * *

She's so fragile. So precious with her unlimited kindness and strength and love and her _limited_ time. He wants to ask, wants to ask if she'd consider immortality (for him) but it sounds selfish, even to his own ears each time he wants to ask. It's not like Elena is inexperienced with vampires, _Caroline_ is a vampire and she _lives_ with one. The idea of Elena being immortal relaxes some of the tension in him sometimes, almost invulnerable Elena-too much of a miracle. Elena has no problem with aging, and he wonders if he could ever bring it up.

When he brought the elixir that was supposed to save her from death, she had a grateful smile. She'd told Damon that she wanted to die human, see her parents and loved ones again, voice raising with each word. Elijah had quietly tucked away the information as he waited for it to play out. He hadn't thought Damon would do something so foolish.

Elena isn't exposed to much vampire blood, but if she wants him to bite her, he always make sure she's healed soon after. Elena has enough scars from dealing with vampires, after all. Unless it's a big injury, she doesn't ask and he doesn't offer. He wishes he could.

Loving Elena, living with Elena-it's comparable to what he thinks other vampires must deal with without daylight rings. Elena is the sun. Elena's _his_ sun, lighting up the world with her smiles and laughter and just by _existing._ He's not sure he can survive the darkness after living with the sun for so long. Elijah doesn't even want to think about it, but there are nights Elena falls asleep when her head touches her pillow and he has time to think. Elena curls up next to him those nights and most nights, taking up as much of his space as she comfortably can. Elijah wonders if she knows he needs her close those nights, needs to make sure she can never slip away, out of his hands. Elena's entirely unique and also it for him. He doesn't want another lover, he wants her immortalized like she deserves, loved forever by anyone who meets her.

Sometimes, he's still up when she wakes up randomly in the night, and she sighs, hushed in the darkness of their bedroom, and looks at him.

" _Sleep."_ She presses like he's a human man who needs sleep that night, like she can will him to close his eyes and dream. He always waits for a moment because if she's not already dreaming a few seconds after that, she'll speak again.

"Love you." She mumbles, brain tired, body trying to drag her back to rest.

There's no place they'd rather be.


	45. Short as watching ASOUE

AN: The prompt for this chapter is: a story about a near-death experience.

So I watched all of A Series of Unfortunate Events on Netflix in the last day and Sara Canning (aka the actress who played Aunt Jenna) plays a character who's amazing. So this happened.

* * *

"Stop moving." The man hisses at her and she rolls her eyes at him. Something cold and flat is pressed to her throat and she stills.

"That's better." He says and continues to tie complicated knots with inhuman speed. He steps away from the tree she's tied to and removes the knife from her throat.

"So that's your plan? You're just going to leave me tied to a tree?" Jenna asks and the man nods.

"I have instructions to kill the doppelganger. Not you. Someone will find you. Probably." He laughs but Jenna doesn't find this remotely funny.

"Doppelganger?" She asks as he begins to walk away. The man sighs and pauses before he turns around.

"Elena. Your niece. And maybe Jeremy if my boss wants." The man shrugs and she knows several things in the next minute. Jeremy and Elena are danger, the man who tied her to a tree was a vampire, vampires are real, and she needs to get to town.

Jenna moves her hand to her pocket after some more wiggling against the slight give of the rough ropes to get to the pocketknife she was going to give Alaric. She wiggles to get it open with a click and begins to cut.

* * *

"This reminds me of when I tied your aunt to a tree." The man smiles but it's not kind. Elena wants to wipe the smug look off his face but she's being tied to a tree with too many vampires around to do anything.

"When was that?" Elena keeps her voice steady.

"About twenty minutes ago? You're lucky my boss is uninterested in Jeremy. Lucky you. Well, actually-" He pulls the ropes to make sure they're taut and Elena makes a noise of pain.

"Lucky Jeremy." The man flashes his fangs in what Elena thinks is supposed to be a smile. There's a moment before Elena moves her head. She can't hear as well as the vampires who want to kill her for power do, but she's pretty sure she can hear a car. The sound of an engine grows closer and Elena lets herself hope as the man begins to tie overly complicated knots. The car, a red Mini Cooper stops a stone's throw away and a few of the vampires go to investigate, but Elena can't see the driver's face.

"You." The man tying Elena up turns and Elena smiles.

"Me." Jenna says and stakes a vampire.

"Jeremy's safe, Alaric's with him." Jenna says and moves with grace as she stakes vampires until there's only one left.

"I should have killed you." The man ties one last knot and looks at Jenna who shrugs.

"You also probably should have checked my pockets, but hey-better luck next time. Oh wait-you don't get a next time." Jenna says and he throws himself at her.

"Jenna!" Elena screams, because it looks like he's going to take a bite out of Jenna's neck, but his skin grays and Jenna pushes him off her.

"My stake got to him before he could get to me." Jenna says as she runs to her niece, opening her pocket knife.

"You knew about-how'd you-" Elena trails off, there's too many questions.

"I've known about vampires since I was a child. Been a badass since then too." Jenna smiles at Elena fondly but doesn't look up from cutting the ropes.

"I love you." Elena says and Jenna's smile widens.

"I love you too." She cuts through the rope and helps Elena out of the mess of ropes.

"Now let's go home. I ordered pizza, and if we hurry, we might beat it home." Jenna says and Elena has more questions with each minute, but she's glad Jenna's still herself. It's a nice way to end a nightmare of a day.


	46. Anger

AN: So for those of you who read my author's notes, this is a personal chapter. Mostly because I used my situation and anger in this. If you remember me talking about Caitlin, who died in a car accident-this is about her. Kit was a nickname she had. My grief counselor and I discovered some sketchy stuff a few weeks ago and we're pretty sure Caitlin faked her death because she didn't know how to end her relationship with me. So I've been dealing with that and it got transferred into this.

The prompt for this chapter: A story about anger. Texts are in italics.

* * *

"I have her right where you want her. The sacrifice of the doppelganger will happen next week. What do I do now?" Elena hears her boyfriend say into his phone, she just let herself into his apartment.

"Pretend to be her boyfriend? Still? I think this fake relationship's made me a better actor, actually. Alright, Jonathan." He says and Elena quietly opens the door and escapes.

* * *

She's crying at a stop sign in her car and Elena hits a familiar number on her speed dial as she tries to breathe. She's making quiet sobbing noises as the call connects.

"Hello?" Elijah asks and for some reason she cries harder.

"It's me. I need help. Like seriously need you here help. They're going to kill me. Can you come to my apartment?" Elena asks.

"I'll be there shortly. Drive safely." He says gently and she nods even though he can't see it. Elena wipes at her eyes and running mascara with a tissue before they end the call and she drives back to her apartment.

* * *

Beeeep.

 _Weren't you coming over for dinner?_ The text from Kit makes her want to throw her phone against the wall.

Elijah enters her apartment as she's wiping her mascara off. He's got his own key and Caroline has her other spare. Elena looks up see her favorite Original, looking at her with concern in his dark eyes.

"Who's going to kill you, sweet Elena?" He asks and a few tears escape her eyes without her permission as she gestures for him to sit. He picks the armchair as she settles on the couch.

"Kit. I overheard him on the phone-whoever he's with-they're planning on killing me next week. Our entire relationship is fake. He did it to get close to me. I'm guessing to kill me. Next week." Elena's so quiet and her lip trembles. She bites it hard, as if that can stop the tears from coming out.

"I don't know what to do. He texted me a few minutes ago and I haven't responded yet." Elena admits.

"What did he say?" Elijah inquires.

"He asked where I was, I was supposed to go to his house for dinner." Elena says.

"Tell him you can't come over. I don't want you alone with him or any of his friends." Elijah says and she nods, fingers moving to type a response with a few taps on her phone.

 _I'm sorry, I can't. Caroline just got into town and asked if we could have a girl's night. Raincheck?_ Elena sends the text. There's a moment of silence and she looks at Elijah. He's always so composed, together, untouchable, powerful. Elena feels like the exact opposite of those things.

"I loved him. I didn't know. I thought I was going to have a normal life, maybe with him. I just wanted to be normal. I can't believe I wasted a year and a half of my life. I can't believe I didn't see it earlier." Elena tells him. She feels like a failure, the biggest idiot on the planet. She should have known something was off, that Kit wasn't quite right. She was stupid to think she could have a normal life, that she could leave the supernatural world behind.

"It's okay to feel sad, Elena. The end of a relationship, however it ends-is grief in a way. You go through many of the same feelings, you're mourning the potential and the end of the relationship. Is there anything I can do?" Elijah asks and Elena bites her lip.

"I need to get rid of everything he's ever given me. And ice cream. We need a game plan, and to call Bonnie and Caroline." Elena says. She's still in shock, Kit used her. Used her like she was an object, means to an end.

"I can get ice cream. Does he have a key to your apartment?" Elijah asks and Elena shakes her head. She told Elijah months ago she had played with the idea of giving a key to Kit, but they've really only been dating for a few months. Elena cringes at their friendship before they started dating, Kit must have planned so much of those times out.

"I told him I only had two and I gave the second to Caroline." Elena trusts Elijah more than her boyfriend. Soon to be ex-boyfriend, she can't break up with him until she and Elijah have a plan. Maybe that says something about her, but it works out. Elijah's been a lot more reliable than some of the other people in her life.

* * *

"I'll kill him." Bonnie says and Elena shakes her head.

"No. You don't kill. He's human. Elijah and I will work out a way to deal with this. And Elijah will keep me safe. I think I cried out like every tear in my body. I feel like such an idiot. I'm an idiot. I should have seen this." Elena says and Bonnie gives her a sympathetic look and shifts her camera so Elena can see her clearly.

"He played you. He went out of his way to pick you. This is _his_ fault. He's an asshole. You're not an idiot. He's a piece of shit and I always thought you could do better. He was kind of heavy on romance and it weirded me out. Always calling you soulmates and planning your future. That he didn't even think you'd live to." Bonnie says and Elena closes her eyes.

"I know. I just thought he was serious about me. And our relationship. Caroline's coming tomorrow. I think Elijah might stay here. To be safe." Elena says and Bonnie wiggles her eyebrows.

"You've always had a thing for Elijah. And _he's getting you ice cream._ I'm not saying right now-but soon-you need to think about how you feel about him. There's something there, and he dropped whatever he was doing to come help you." Bonnie reminds Elena.

"Yeah, but it's probably just because I was ugly crying on the phone and we're just friends. It's probably that." Elena says and Bonnie sighs and rolls her eyes.

"I've got to go-Skype is killing my battery but text me if you need anything okay?" Bonnie says and Elena nods. She has a cardboard box full of crap Kit gave her and she's taping it up. Elena will drop the box off to donate it somewhere, later. Things are better and Elijah will be back, Elijah always comes back. Her phone beeps a few times with Kit's text tone and a wave of dread runs through her.

 _Yeah, I mean I guess that's fine. Why does Caroline need a girl's night anyway? Kind of rude to just show up without asking if you had plans. Like the ones you had with me._ Elena groans as she reads them before she sends a response. Kit's _trying_ to start a fight, he gets so passive aggressive over text sometimes, and it's just going to escalate.

"I'm back." Elijah says, and Elena hears the door close. Elena lets out a long sigh, and looks at Elijah and then back to her phone.

"We need a game plan. And I need to text him back." Elena says as Elijah puts ice cream in her freezer. Elijah and Kit have never met, it's always worked out that they've never been in the city at the same time. The one time they're in the same city, Elijah's planning to help her take him down.

"Caroline's coming tomorrow. Has she met _Kit?"_ Elijah says the name with disdain. Elena looks up from her phone and swears.

"That's probably a fake name. Everything I know about him is probably a lie." Elena wants to put her face in her hands but she needs to answer his question.

"They've met. Caroline's not his favorite person and I'm using her as the reason I can't come over." Elena explains.

"Smart. Did you eat dinner yet?" Elijah asks.

"No. How does takeout sound?" Elena fakes a smile.

* * *

Elena seems calm about the fact Kit wants her dead. The fact he just _used_ Elena makes Elijah's blood boil, but Elena hasn't shown any anger. She's leaning against him on her couch as they watch a movie.

"Have you ever had something like this happen to you or someone else?" Elena wonders. Elijah shakes his head.

"I had someone I thought I loved fake her death because she didn't know how to tell me she didn't love me anymore." Elijah offers.

"Oh god. That's worse." Elena's voice is soft.

"All relative, I suppose." Elijah's quiet too, and she wonders if he's thinking about his past.

"I just keep thinking about Kit. And I keep wondering if he ever even liked me. If any part of it was real. I'll never be able to get that time back. I really thought he-I mean I always knew he wasn't perfect and I didn't think we were going to last forever. But I never thought he-" Elena trails off. Elijah knows what she wants to say.

"I know." Elijah says. The movie picks up in action and they focus on that instead. Elena's thankful for Elijah and his understanding, and his excellent taste in ice cream.

* * *

 _Do you want to do brunch?_ Kit texts. Caroline plucks the phone from Elena's hands, guessing from the look on her face, Caroline's guessing it's the piece of shit named Kit.

 _Only if Caroline can come._ Caroline hits send and Elijah looks at her with an amused look. She's been in Elena's apartment for half an hour and she's already made herself at home.

"I'm assuming you're annoying the idiot?" Elijah asks and Caroline smiles.

"Yup. He asked if Elena wanted to do brunch." Caroline says and looks at Elijah for a few seconds longer than she needs to.

"Elijah?" Caroline asks in a voice Elena recognizes.

"Hmm?" Elijah looks up from his book.

"How do you feel about pretending to be _my_ boyfriend?" The mischievous look on Caroline's face is priceless. Elena doesn't know why Caroline emphasizes the way she does. Even though the idea of the idea of Caroline and Elijah dating isn't ever going to come true, Elena feels herself jealous.

"I think Niklaus is more your type." Elijah says and Caroline rolls her eyes.

Beeeeep. Caroline looks at the new text from Kit.

"We're going to brunch." Caroline smiles and Elena shoots a look to Elijah that almost makes him laugh.

* * *

Kit is trying to puff his chest out and Elena wonders why she ever liked him.

"Kit, I don't think you've met my boyfriend. Elijah." Caroline says and they can all just see Kit grit his teeth and fake a smile at Elijah.

"It's nice to meet you." Kit lies and glances at Elena.

"Right this way." Their waitress saves Elijah the trouble of a sarcastic response as she shows them to their booth. Elena looks uncomfortable as can be as she sits next to Kit, Elijah can tell by her body language. Apparently, Kit doesn't pick up on things like that. He wonders what Elena ever saw in the dolt. Caroline wishes she could have Irish coffee with breakfast, and she's not the only one.

* * *

"I've lived through decades shorter than that brunch." Elijah informs them and Caroline rolls her eyes. Kit tried to get Elena alone after brunch but they insisted they had plans with her in the afternoon.

"He's an idiot, and awful, but we just have to keep an eye on him for six more days." Caroline reminds them and Elena sighs.

"A long six days." Elena says and Elijah chuckles.

* * *

"I think he's about ready to try and kill me too. I keep inviting myself to your _couple time_." Caroline's been on two dates with Kit and Elena, third wheeling like they're in high school again. Only she never wanted to kill any of Elena's previous boyfriends and it wasn't this awkward.

"Don't you have your own boyfriend you can go see? Elena and I might want some time alone." Kit tells Caroline sharply and she has to fight the urge to roll her eyes.

"I do. He's currently unavailable at the moment." Caroline says politely and she can hear Elena chastise him. Elena so owes her a nice bottle of wine. Maybe a _few_ bottles of wine, Caroline thinks as she looks at the pair again. She doesn't know how Elena can even stand to hold Kit's hand. Caroline would be gagging if she had to touch Kit. Caroline and Kit miss Elena's look at him, eyes sharp and cold.

* * *

"I have a surprise for you. You can invite Caroline too, if you want." Kit says and Caroline looks to Elijah. There's no point in putting the call on speakerphone when Caroline and Elijah can hear it regardless. It must be going down tonight.

"Great, he wants to kill me too." Caroline mutters and Elijah looks to Elena.

"Tonight?" Elena asks.

"Tonight at 7 sharp." Kit confirms.

"Okay, I just need an address." Elena keeps her voice even.

"Oh no, I'll pick you up." Kit says and Elena bites her lip, hard.

"Okay." A little bit of anger leaks slips out, making the word sharp at the edges. Caroline looks at Elijah, and they have the same thought.

"I'll send our location when we get to wherever we're going." Caroline tells Elijah who nods. Until then, it's just a few hours of sober waiting. Elijah looks up things on his laptop and Caroline sits next to him as Elena writes in her journal.

* * *

The surprise is a fucking warehouse. Caroline sends her location to Elijah with a sigh. He'll be there in a few, until then they have to pretend that they're clueless.

"What's the surprise?" Elena asks, voice quiet as Caroline slips her phone into her pocket. Her phone vibrates, Elijah must be on his way, she doesn't take it out in front of Kit again.

"It's inside." He says and Elena raises an eyebrow but gets out of the car anyway. Caroline follows, listening to the handful of heartbeats inside the warehouse. Caroline's phone buzzes but she walks next to Elena as they enter the warehouse. There's a painted circle on the floor, symbols Bonnie would probably recognize and human men.

"What is this?" Elena is still keeping up the clueless act and Caroline shifts her weight.

"The end." Kit smiles and it's ice cold, the flash of his teeth makes her think of wolves.

"End of what?" Caroline moves a few inches closer to Elena.

"Both of you. You're both so annoying! I'm sure he'll be pleased with two sacrifices instead of just a doppelganger." Kit says and Caroline puts an arm in front of Elena as Kit grows closer to them.

Elena sees a flash of movement next to Kit and Caroline moves too, subduing the other idiots.

"So you were just going to sacrifice us? For what?" Elena asks Kit and he rolls his eyes.

"I don't owe you anything, especially not answers. I never loved you. Our relationship was fake. Everything is fake. If we don't kill you, someone else will. And someone will kill your freaky vampire friends too." Kit's face is ugly and pinched with hate.

"I've already died and come back. Newsflash, I'm over you. You spewed all of this crap about being my soulmate and about us being "epic" and we were barely even _good_. You aren't my future. You used me, I'm over it. I deserve better than you, you lying piece of shit." Elena hisses and slaps him so hard his head hits the wall.

"Elena, we'll want to go soon. Someone left a tip at the local FBI field office that we know where these _wanted felons_ are." Elijah advises and Elena looks up from Kit. Elena's magnificent when angry, and he doesn't want to interrupt it, but he also doesn't want to be lumped in with these morons when the FBI come.

"Have a nice life." Elena says with a smile and Kit rolls his eyes at her.

"You're right. Let's go." Elena says and she doesn't look back. Caroline hugs her as Elijah starts his car.

"You okay?" Elena isn't angry often, but she was furious back there.

"Yeah. Got it out of my system. Let's go back to my apartment for wine and takeout." Elena suggests and Caroline cheers and Elijah grins. Truly getting over it is going to take some time, but she's got the best friends she could ask for and she has nothing but time.

Life is good. Things are good but they'll get better and Kit's going to get what's coming to him.


	47. Magic Spell

AN: The prompt for this chapter is: A story about a magic spell. Little Mermaid AU of sorts.

Elena clutches at her throat, it feels like an invisible hand is gripping her throat and choking her for a long moment, and then it passes.

"You okay?" Jeremy asks and Elena opens her mouth to say that she's fine but when her mouth forms the words, all that comes out is a sigh. Her eyes widen and she tries to clear her throat and speak again. Nothing, no words come out.

"I can't talk." Elena mouths and Jeremy pulls out his phone to text Jenna and Caroline.

* * *

"Elijah, do you know of any spells that would render one mute? Caroline's favorite doppelganger has been unable to speak for a few hours and she thinks a witch is behind it." Klaus says conversationally. They watch the rush of New Orleans below them for a moment before Elijah replies.

"I'll look into it."

* * *

"I'm fine. I got my voice back after I ran errands. I don't need tea. Vampire, remember?" Elena says, and Caroline rolls her eyes. The doorbell rings and Caroline moves to open it but Elena shakes her head.

"I've got it, Caroline." She says, moving off the couch and moving to the door.

"Elena." Her favorite Original says.

"Hello Elijah." Elena smiles but it doesn't quite reach her eyes.

"I was in the neighborhood and heard you felt under the weather." Elijah says and she nods.

"I'm fine now. How long will you be in town?" She asks. Elijah's oddly still, but she stays calm.

"A while." It's an answer but also not. His phone beeps.

"I'm afraid I must go. Another time then, Elena?" He asks and listens to her heartbeat. Her heart is steady and unexcited as he listens to the sound of it.

"Another time." Elena agrees and he disappears before she shuts the front door.

One thing Elijah's absolutely certain of-the girl who answered the door was not Elena.

* * *

There are a few spells that came to mind when Niklaus mentioned Elena's inability to speak. One is likelier than the others, and Katerina likely stashed Elena somewhere-he just has to find her. It's a few quiet hours of listening and moving around Mystic Falls. She's not in the woods, in the tomb or in any of the place he thought Katerina would pick. Alaric and Jenna Saltzman are out of town though, and Elijah checks Alaric's apartment just in case. He hears a familiar heartbeat as he knocks on the door. Elena opens the door, and he looks at her for a moment. She opens her mouth and closes it, pressing her hands to the barrier keeping her in. Elijah gingerly moves his hand that passes through the barrier. He can come in at least, so he does and shuts the door.

"Katerina's in your house with Caroline and Jeremy. I'll call Bonnie to get you out of here." Elijah says and Elena smiles at him. _Thank you._ Elena mouths.

"Don't thank me just yet, we need to get you out of here and Katerina out of Mystic Falls." Elijah says and she rolls her eyes. The door opens and Bonnie looks at them.

"How do you know she's Elena?" Bonnie asks. He can feel Elena's eyes on him as he answers.

"Elena and Katerina have different mannerisms."

"I'll take down the barrier-but I don't know what took her voice." Bonnie says.

"I can remedy that if you can remove the barrier." Elijah tells her.

* * *

"When did we become friends?" Bonnie asks and Elena holds up a finger.

"First grade." Elena mouths and Bonnie nods. There's a few more minutes of questions before Bonnie finishes the spell.

"I'll meet you at your house so we can take down Katherine." Bonnie says and Elena nods.

"Thank you. I love you." Elena mouths. She can't wait to get her voice back, she's wondering how Elijah can get her voice back when he moves closer. Her eyes move to his lips and then they're on hers for a few brief, glorious seconds. He pulls away and she stares at him.

"Why'd you kiss me?" Sound comes out and she looks at him.

"I can talk again." Elena looks at him as she says it, hoping his face will give her an indication of what he's thinking.

"The spell Katherine used can be broken a few ways including a kiss of requited love." Elijah reveals and he watches the gears in her head turn for a few seconds.

"You love me?" The question is so quiet, even to his ears.

"I do." He confirms, and she leans forward to kiss him, a proper kiss.

"Let's go deal with Ursula." Elena says and he laughs.


	48. Strange Small Town AKA Mystic Falls

AN: Alaric and Jenna are alive, married and Alaric's life was never tied to Elena's. Human Elena.

The prompt for this chapter is: A story set in a strange small town. So I did a story about/mentioning Mystic Falls because canon is a strange small town tbh.

* * *

 _Elena,_

 _Since you're in between books, I think you'd like this short story contest. The top ten authors get their stories in a book with the other winners. The theme is small towns and the supernatural._

Elena rereads the email from her editor and laughs. Her teenage years were nothing but dealing with the supernatural in Mystic Falls. She types a quick response, she'll do it. It'll be a good writing exercise and she might win, depending on who she's competing with.

* * *

Her journals make her almost miss the days of vampires and danger, but some of her writing makes her want to cringe. A neat note slips out of the journal she's reading. The handwriting is familiar but she can't place it.

 _Elena,_

 _If you ever need my assistance, call this number._

 _Always and forever,_

 _Elijah_

Elijah Smith who turned out to be Elijah Mikaelson. Elena wonders what he's up to, if the number even works, and when he ever slipped her that note. She can still remember the letter that she held onto until he returned to make a deal in exchange for Klaus's body-never to be seen again. Elena's fingers type the number and make the call before her brain's sure she should even be calling. Suddenly the idea of contacting him seems dangerous and ridiculous and she's about to hang up but the call connects.

"Hello?" The voice that so many old dreams never captured quite right hits her ears. Elijah. Elijah still has the number and she needs to respond but she's still amazed he actually answered, her teenage years seem like a hazy dream half forgotten now.

"Elijah. Elena. Elena Gilbert." She says her name in case he doesn't remember her, and she knows there's only been three Petrova doppelgangers but still. She could be forgettable after all, it's been seven years since she's seen him.

"Elena." He says her name like he always did back then, warm and longer than most, dragging out the letters. The familiarity and the sound of it make her breath catch in her throat. Flashes of memories pass in seconds as she closes her eyes.

"I'm fine, I just found the number and wondered if you'd answer." Elena feels like an idiot as the words hit the air and wonders if maybe it was a mistake to call.

"I'm pleased to hear you're not in danger. How goes writing your next bestseller?" Elijah inquires and she makes a choking noise. _Elijah kept tabs on her, has probably read her books._

"It's not fair you know what I've been up to but I don't know what you've been doing." She says instead of answering and he laughs.

"My apologies." Elijah says but he sounds more like he's teasing her than apologizing.

"Are you still in New York City?" He asks and Elena curses the little biography paragraph in the back of her books.

"I am." She confirms because there's no point or good motive in lying to Elijah.

"I happen to be in town. Perhaps we can catch up over dinner?" Elijah says and Elena wonders what she has in her closet at that moment.

* * *

Elijah Mikaelson of all people is picking her up in a few hours, and Elena forces herself to refocus, she needs to work on the story. In an hour she has the plot and the first page done, she needs a distraction and her journals don't exactly help as she reads about her huge crush on Elijah from her high school days. Elena writes about dark nights and endless woods, townspeople who stay fixed, unchanging like their odd small town. Elena describes routine and dark eyes and thinks about her old repetitive routine of days passing, lockers and classes that lasted for what seemed like decades. Elena writes and rewrites and erases until her alarm beeps. Shit, Elijah is coming and she has a set time to get ready, and Elena pauses before she types another line and then tries to figure out which dress she can wear.

* * *

She's calm as the last minute passes, she looks good and she feels good and Elijah will be on time. Just like that, her doorbell rings and she opens the door. Elijah looks good, it's not like she expected anything less but she looks at him for a few more seconds before she says anything.

"Hello there." She says and his lips quirk, he remembers, _of course he remembers._

"Hello again." Elijah says and Elena wonders if he always sounds like that or if it's just when he's talking to her, but she can't stop the butterflies in her stomach.

"You said you found my number?" Elijah inquires.

"I actually was looking through my old journals when I found your number. I'm working on a story about a small town that's supernatural." Elena tells him.

"I'd love to read what you have sometime, if you're comfortable with that." He says honestly and she didn't know before this that butterflies could be so violent but she gives a hesitant smile.

"It's not-it's not quite done. But I'd like your opinion when it's finished." Elena says and if she closes her eyes she can remember how he looked in Mystic Falls and in that dilapidated house where they first met.

* * *

Elijah's been busy, she learns over wine and an appetizer. His siblings were a handful after they left Mystic Falls she's sure-and they settled in New Orleans.

"Oh, I've always wanted to go to New Orleans." The words escape Elena's mouth and the corners of his mouth curl, like he might smile.

"You simply must visit if they ever let you out of this city." Elijah teases and she raises an eyebrow.

"I can leave if I want." Elena informs him. She might have to send a few emails, but currently, she could fly to NOLA if she wanted.

"I'm afraid it's too large to write about for the contest anyway." He says and Elena wonders if she might actually go to New Orleans to visit him sometime.

"I've had enough of supernatural small towns to last me a lifetime." Elena admits. There are too many memories of running in the woods or from something inhumanly fast, lungs fighting for air, for her to want to go back anytime soon.

"What's Jeremy up to?" Elijah inquires before a sip of wine. He's so graceful, Elena wonders how many times he's sat like that, infinite and untouchable.

"He's good. Busy. He's an illustrator and he's working on a project with one of his friends right now." Elena tells him. The main course arrives a few minutes after that and Elena realizes that this is the first time she's been alone with a vampire in a long while. Caroline doesn't really count, and for the last few years they've barely seen each other face to face, Skype keeps them connected. Elena wonders what he'd look like aging, if she's older than Tatia ever was and she feels Elijah's eyes on her. Something clicks and she realizes she's still looking at him when he looks concerned.

"Elena?" His voice is soft, almost like he doesn't want to interrupt her thoughts.

"I just figured out the end of the story." Elena smiles victoriously, the one bad thing about becoming a writer is that she's always thinking about it, it's never far from her thoughts.

* * *

It wasn't really a date, Elena tells herself as she looks at a scar on her arm from her teenage years. Elijah walks next to her, had insisted on making sure she got to her apartment. Mystic Falls caused several scars, not all physical. Elena didn't exactly swear off the supernatural, Bonnie and Caroline are near and dear-but they're it. Elena hasn't been back to Mystic Falls and she still makes sure she has vervain.

Elena can still remember the crush she had on Elijah back then and he's staring at her lips. They've reached her door and she really should just say goodnight and hope he ignores her fast heart so she can finish the story. She hasn't gotten her keys out of her purse, and her heels make her tall enough that if she _wanted she could just lean forward and kiss him._ Elena _does_ want it though, and she moves closer, Elijah looking at her and she brushes her lips against his.

He doesn't move away, one of his hands moves into her hair and she's glad she wasn't imagining the tension. She stops thinking after that though, Elijah's kisses have turned her brain to mush, but he's not breaking away either so she might be doing the same to him. A door slamming shut reminds them of where they are, and they break apart.

"Goodnight, Elena." Elijah says and a grin appears on her lips.

"Goodnight, Elijah. Don't be a stranger." Elena says as she unlocks her door, watching him leave.

"I won't." He promises and she plans to hold him to it. Then he's gone, and she changes before settling on her couch with tea and her laptop. Elena closes her eyes and pictures it before she writes, the endless night and the fear are easy to write about. Elena thinks about the stagnant little town of the story and dying, remembers the bite of it.

She's never denied that she was raised in Mystic Falls and left, but Mystic Falls never left her. It's part of who she is, made her who she is, and she ends the story with a few words.

Elena wonders if that's true for Elijah too, whatever they called Mystic Falls before Mystic Falls-if that's never left him either.


	49. Justice AKA MURDER

AN: Elena's back in Mystic Falls after graduating college and then the supernatural drama begins. Set around after when Elijah undaggers his siblings in s3 and minus a ton of drama. The prompt for this chapter is: A story about justice being done. It's there if you look.

Songs for this chapter: Cardiac Arrest by Bad Suns, What You Want by Two Door Cinema Club and Green Light by Lorde. Fun fact- I was rewatching Elejah scenes and when Elijah asks Elena if he can trust her to tell him what his mother says, Lorde sang "You're such a damn liar," as the camera focused on Elena.

* * *

Elijah takes her out for coffee, almost like he knows she doesn't want to go home and explain just yet. Elena's still shaky and she trusts him, if he says they're going to get coffee, they're going to get coffee.

Elijah drives out of Mystic Falls as he apologizes a second time about Rebekah. Elena remembers that there really isn't anything open in Mystic Falls at this time except maybe a bar or two. Bruises are forming, Elena finds her purse in the backseat and looks through it for something to cover her neck. A dark scarf works, it's cold out and it'll cover whatever's forming on her neck.

"Do you ever get cold?" Elena asks, because even with the scarf on, she finds herself reaching forward to adjust the heat.

"Rarely." Elijah answers and Elena ponders it for a moment.

"Is that a suit thing or a vampire thing?" She asks and he looks so amused but she raises an eyebrow, she wants an answer after all.

"Vampire thing." Elijah answers, using her phrasing to answer.

"Do you drink coffee?" Elena asks because the music playing on the radio's still too quiet to be a distraction and she doesn't usually get this much of Elijah's time.

"Sometimes." Elijah answers and she wonders why his answers are so short.

"Are you annoyed with my questions?" Elena asks and he moves his head, he seems so human as he does it. Elijah looks _tired_ , like someone hasn't let him sleep in weeks, but he's still moving and driving pretty well so she lets it slide.

"Is something else bothering you?" Elena's voice is soft.

"I might as well tell you now." Elijah decides and she hears what she thinks is a sigh before he continues speaking.

"You know the last coffin that the Salvatores had? The witches they teamed up with unlocked the coffin. My mother was inside." Elijah's voice sounds heavy and weary, even to his own ears. Elena makes a sad noise and he looks over.

"I'm so sorry you had that brought up again. At least you can bury her." Elena says gently, and he laughs mirthlessly. Wide eyes stare at him and he needs to just tell her.

"She's not dead. She was kept alive with magic. My siblings and I were going to leave like I told you-I was making plans to keep you protected before Rebekah went after you. But my mother is alive and she wants to be a family again." Elijah says and Elena gasps quietly.

"I'd love to have my mom back." She admits and he exhales, eyes focusing on the vacant, dark road, illuminated only by the headlights.

"She's not the same person who raised us. She's up to something. My father was subdued a few decades ago, I think she's trying to find him. You see, after my parents realized what they had made us into, my mother made my father into a vampire as well-sent him after us to rid the world of vampires. I think she still wants to kill us and by extension, you." Elijah says frankly and Elena leans forward in her seat.

"Me? I'm just human." Elena says and Elijah shakes his head gracefully.

"You're a supernatural being as a Petrova doppelganger, which was started with my mother's hatred of the Petrova who lived on our village when we were human. Tatia, who you and Katerina share your looks with." Elijah explains and Elena sighs.

"Are you sure we should be getting coffee? Because something stronger sounds better for this conversation." Elena says.

"I believe your aunt and uncle would frown upon that, and I would prefer you be sober for our conversation before we get back to Mystic Falls." Elijah says and Elena groans and looks at him as lights begin to come into view, another town, one with coffee.

* * *

Elena sticks close to him despite the fact the coffee shop's dead. There's two people looking at laptops at different tables sipping at their drinks and a woman reading a book with tea next to her. Elena orders hot chocolate and Elijah orders a black coffee. He tells her he's paying and Elena's too tired to argue. Rebekah's hands were around her neck less than half an hour ago and now his mother wants to kill them all. The dim lights are not helping anything, she's starting to wish she ordered coffee instead. When their drinks are done, Elijah moves to get them, looking back to make sure she won't fall asleep in the few seconds he'll be gone.

The cup of hot chocolate is hot against her hands and Elena looks to Elijah.

"So what's next? You aren't done with the bad news yet, are you?" Elena asks and Elijah chuckles.

"My mother is throwing a ball in a few weeks. She wants to invite you and the rest of the Founding Families to attend. I think by the time the ball comes, she'll have found Mikael and he'll try to kill us all." Elijah says and Elena wishes her hot chocolate was something stronger.

"Do you have a date yet?" Elena asks before taking a sip of hot chocolate. His eyes widen, he wonders if he's been too obvious, if she knows he has feelings for her.

"I assumed that was the next thing you were going to mention. Unless you have someone else you were thinking of taking." Elena suddenly realizes how presumptuous she sounds, but Elijah's never mentioned _not_ being single.

"No, I was going to ask you. You beat me to it." Elijah almost looks like he'll smile, but Elena remembers things are still heavy now's not the time to do this.

"I'm sorry. You're talking about potentially dying and here I am asking if you have a date because I don't want to end up with a stranger." Elena says and he shakes his head.

"It's fine, lovely Elena. It's a lot to take in. It'll be fine. They killed us before, my siblings and I will kill them." Elijah says it like a promise. Elena takes a long sip of hot chocolate.

"So-what's our game plan?" She asks and he gives her a hint of a grin. There's no point in not trusting Elijah, if he wanted her dead he wouldn't have kept saving her, if he wanted her dead, he wouldn't have bothered telling her these things. Elijah needs her assistance and she needs his.

* * *

The drive back is quiet, invitations for the ball will go out soon, Jenna and Alaric won't be invited, they'll be safe at home. Elena messes with the radio and slowly works on drinking the last half of her hot chocolate. There's too much to do, but at least she's got Elijah. Something's been bothering her though, and it's not her neck-at least at the moment.

"Elijah." Elena says quietly.

"Hmm?" He asks and she looks at him with sad eyes, compassion blatant in her expression.

"To become a vampire, you have to die. What-" She trails off for a moment, unsure if she can really ask. Elijah's eyes look soft, something she's never seen around other people, only when they're alone.

"What killed you?" She asks, still soft and quiet.

"My parents killed us all after we drank wine laced with Tatia's blood." Elijah tells her and she bites her lip.

" _I'm so sorry."_ Elena says, and if she didn't know any better, she'd say Elijah almost looks startled.

"It's ancient history." He says and she can't tell if he wants to stop talking about it or if he's saying it's passed and he's over 're turning onto her street anyway, and she can see lightning in the sky in short bursts of light. Elijah parks in the driveway and Elena looks at the sky before she gets out. Elijah stands in front of her, about to hand over the car keys, but she reaches forward and wraps her arms around him.

"I'm sorry they want to kill you. I'm sorry they killed you. I'm sorry things are the way they are. I can't imagine going through what you have." Elena says, face partially pressed into his suit jacket. He could escape the hug if he wanted of course, but he realizes she's trying to comfort him. Hesitant arms wrap around her and thunder booms and cracks in the sky, and he lets go first. Elena looks at him with concerned eyes, but his fingers brush hers to give her the keys.

"Goodnight, Elena." He says.

"Goodnight, Elijah." She replies and then he's gone-just before the rain begins to fall.

* * *

There is a plan, he always has a plan. They'll take down his parents in a few weeks, he just has to figure out if any of his siblings are thinking like he is. Elena Gilbert was an unexpected but not unwelcome surprise. For all of his plans and precision, he didn't plan on falling in love with her. She wants a normal life after the supernatural drama of the past few months. She's too kind and compassionate for her own good. Compassion-he had written about her compassion in a letter he was going to give her before he left with his siblings. He'll have to write a new one after his parents are taken care of. He'll need to move on from Elena Gilbert eventually-she's going to die, old and wrinkled someday and the thought feels like he just swallowed shards of glass. He needs to refocus.

* * *

"You're going with the doppelganger, aren't you?" Esther asks, she's not really his mother anymore but it's still hard to look at her sometimes. His mother was warm and kind, patient as she taught her children how to exist, how to do everything she knew. The woman standing in front of him is a mockery of that, a weak imitation of the woman who died over a thousand years ago.

"She asked me to accompany her so she could avoid rejecting the Salvatore brothers." Elijah excuses. Esther looks at him, cold and calculating, false affection in her eyes.

"You care for her." Esther notes, but it sounds like an accusation.

"I just don't want her to face a fate like Tatia or Katerina's. Nothing more." The lie is easy, he's been lying for centuries, the woman in front of him nods and accepts it.

"She's just a girl, Elijah. I'm glad you didn't make the same mistake again." Esther sounds sincere on the surface. Even if she doesn't completely loathe them, doesn't despise them after watching everything they've ever done-Elijah knows she wants them dead as she says it. It's going to be a long time until the ball, a few weeks is beginning to sound longer than a few years he's lived through.

* * *

There are moments of weakness-times he needs to get away from his family-times he calls Elena Gilbert. He always asks if she wants to get coffee, and she always says yes. Living with his siblings who all think that Esther is their mother and loves them-it's enough to drive someone mad. Niklaus distrusts it as well, they haven't lived as long as they have to trust everything-but it seems like even he falls for the act. Elijah doesn't blame them, they want forgiveness and love, but it's not smart to trust Esther.

Despite the fact they call each other to get coffee, they don't always get coffee. He really needs to stop relying on Elena Gilbert, it's just going to make it harder for him when he leaves. Elena's always happy to see him though and he's always happy to see her.

* * *

Two days before the ball-he gets a notification that there's a charge for a motel on the account he set up for Esther. The motel's the next town over, and Elijah dials a familiar number.

"Elena? Have you had coffee yet?" He asks politely. Esther has someone in that motel and more likely than not-it's Mikael.

"No. Not yet. How badly do you need coffee?" Elena asks and he keeps a pleasant look on his face as Finn walks into the room.

"Rather quickly, would you like to get coffee with me?" Elijah asks and Finn shoots him an odd look as he hears Elena agree.

* * *

Jenna has a pot of coffee brewing and she pours herself a cup before Elijah comes over, it's not about coffee. He's going to leave soon and she really shouldn't be thinking about him so much. He'll resume his life before Mystic Falls and she'll have to pretend her summer was quiet. Still, the sharp vampire is going to kill his mother in two days. Maybe both of his parents, depending if he managed to sway Klaus. It's kind of justice in a sick way, children killing the parents that killed them once upon a time, Elena thinks. The doorbell rings and Elena wonders what news he has, if it's a new theory or if he got Klaus on his side.

* * *

"You can walk in those heels, right?" Jenna asks and Elena nods. They're her favorite pair, but her dress hides her feet-no one's going to see them anyway. The doorbell rings and Alaric moves to answer it.

"Nope. Not yet. Last check." Jenna says and Alaric moves away from the door. Jenna does one last check, adjusting Elena's necklace before she moves to answer the door. Elijah cleans up nicely in a suit, but he looks excellent in a tux as well.

"Hello Jenna, Alaric. Elena, you look lovely." Elijah says and Elena blushes, despite her best efforts not to. Jenna doesn't miss that, Jenna doesn't miss much nowadays.

"I'll let you two get to the ball-but Elijah? I want Cinderella back here before midnight. Alaric needs his beauty sleep." Jenna says and Elena laughs. Alaric rolls his eyes and Elijah has a partial grin on his face as Elena speaks before he can.

"I'll be here way before midnight." Elena assures her aunt and she knows Jenna and Alaric worry but she is an adult.

* * *

"You're leaving after you-after they're gone, right?" Elena asks as he stops at the red light.

"More likely tomorrow morning with my siblings." Elijah says and he looks tired, like he hasn't slept in a year.

"How are your siblings?" Elena asks cautiously. She knows his siblings are a tricky subject, but if he wants to talk, she can listen. A sigh escapes him as the light turns green and she waits.

"I think Rebekah still wants to see the good in her. I'm not sure there's anything left of our mother in Esther. Finn is quiet but I think he'd side with her. Klaus is with us because of Mikael. Kol is with us because he's suspicious as well." Elijah tells her, and she can't imagine being in his position. She can't imagine having her parents back after so long, and telling Jeremy she has to kill their parents.

"I have to a short speech and then it will be dancing, people will be getting drinks, and hopefully, after the ball is when my mother will try to use Mikael. I know she must want us dead, but most of our guests tonight are human. She only wants what she created to die." Elijah says and Elena nods. All they can do is wait.

* * *

The ball is like a Founder's Event in the sense that the same people are there and it's still pretty calm. Elijah talks to her about trivial things neither of them are really focusing on, the guest list, the arrangements, they're both paying attention to the room instead.

"So this is the latest doppelganger." A man says and he looks so close to Elijah that he must be Kol.

"Kol Mikaelson, although I'm sure you knew that already." He introduces himself and kisses Elena's hand, and Elena doesn't know why she worried about Elijah's reaction. There isn't one, of course, because they're just allies. Elena tries to hide her disappointment as they stick close together and make small talk.

* * *

Elijah announces dancing and Elena's eyes widen because she's pretty sure she hasn't actually slow danced or done any dancing since Jenna and Alaric's wedding a few years ago.

"May I have this dance?" Elijah asks and Elena raises an eyebrow.

"I haven't danced in a few years. I might be awful." Elena says and Elijah grins.

"I'll lead." Elijah says and his fingers brush Elena's.

"One dance." Elena says hesitantly and Elijah nods. One dance turned into seven, and Elena wonders when she's going home, who will take her home. Dancing with Elijah's like riding a bike with someone quietly reminding her what to do next when she asks. Dancing with Elijah isn't nervewracking, as long as she's next to him, they're fine. Still, her heels aren't meant for dancing so much and her feet are screaming at her.

"Can we take a break? I could use a drink." Elena says and Elijah nods, and they take a scenic route to get to the kitchen instead of the bar set up. Elena looked like she needed privacy and he could use a moment. Elena looks around the kitchen that looks more like a glossy movie set than a place to make food and then to Elijah. There's something outside that catches her eye and she grabs Elijah's arm and points. Someone's literally on fire in his backyard and there are too many ears that could overhear and there's someone else there. Elena freezes and Elijah stares at the fire with a look.

"That's Niklaus. I'll open the door." Elijah says and Elena moves away, a few steps further, Elijah glances back at her but doesn't say anything. The door opens and it reeks of smoke and cooked vampire. Elena bites her lip and tries to focus on anything other than the nauseatingly awful smell, Klaus looks at them for a moment.

"Niklaus. What was the reason for the impromptu bonfire?" Elijah asks like they're discussing the weather.

"I just killed a rather old pain in the ass. I'm sure mother will be upset I broke the no killing rule." Klaus sounds bored, like he didn't just kill his father next to a rose bush and trees. Elena bites her lip again to keep laughter from escaping or from saying anything she shouldn't.

"Do you think Rebekah can be trusted to drive the doppelganger home? I'd rather she not fight us and the other half of the problem still needs to be dealt with." Klaus says airily and Elena's eyes flicker to Elijah's.

"Rebekah no longer holds a grudge for whatever imagined slight she thought Elena caused. That might be our best course of action." Elijah says.

"If you're sure." Elena says and Elijah nods, he'd rather know she's at home safe. Safe from Esther, safe from Niklaus, and safe from him admitting foolish feelings to her. Elena moves and her dress makes a soft sigh as she does, and she hugs him for a moment.

"Be careful. Can you let me know when it's over?" Elena asks.

"Of course. We need to go find Rebekah." Elijah says and Elena lets go of him. Klaus rolls his eyes at them for some reason before he moves out of the kitchen in a blink.

* * *

"I don't see why Elijah couldn't drive you home." Rebekah complains and Elena shrugs.

"He said something about hosting duties." Elena says. It sounds like Elijah, and Elena tells Rebekah where to turn to get to her house. It's not the worst car ride she's ever endured but it's definitely not her favorite either. Rebekah drives above the speed limit, eager to get her home and back to the ball. Elena's phone beeps and she checks it as Rebekah stops at the red light.

 _Esther is dead. Niklaus took care of her._ Elijah's texts are always short and to the point but this one seems almost callous. It's over, at least. The light turns green and Elena wonders when Rebekah learned to drive. A few minutes later, Elena sees her house and looks at Rebekah. When she gets back she's sure to hear what her brothers did, sure to be upset. Elena doesn't envy Elijah when Rebekah gets back-she really thought their mother was back for good. Elena doesn't say anything other than a quiet thank you as Rebekah pulls into her driveway.

* * *

Elena wonders how Elijah's doing, his parents are dead again, and there must be some grief there. They're leaving soon and it's really not a good idea to call, but she calls early the next morning anyway.

"Elijah, before you leave-do you want to get some coffee?" Elena asks and she can't see his grin as he tells her that sounds perfect. He'd like to say goodbye to her. Elena wonders what they'll order, Elijah switches it up sometimes, but she'll find out soon enough.


	50. Creation Myth

AN: So I don't really know what the hell this is, but it came out after I watched a few Elijah scenes with the whole Esther tortures him thing on The Originals. I don't watch the Originals, I just wanted background. Vampire Elena.

The prompt for this chapter is: A creation myth.

* * *

Elena's phone rings as she's driving home, the name Elijah flashes on the screen and she pulls over to take it.

"Elijah?" They don't keep in contact often, they've contacted each other a few times to check in or make deals, but he usually doesn't call unless it's urgent.

"Hello Elena." The wrong voice greets her and Elena's glad she isn't driving.

"Klaus." They both notice her voice is much colder. Just because he's dating Caroline doesn't mean he gets a free pass on what he's done, including stealing Elijah's phone, apparently.

"I'll cut to the chase. I have a plane ticket for a flight to New Orleans about to hit your email. Drop what you're doing and get on the flight. Elijah needs you." Klaus says and Elena takes that in for a moment.

"Elijah _needs_ me?" She asks and Klaus sighs.

"Just get on the damn plane." He says and hangs up. Elena plans to call Caroline as soon as she gets home. It's a little harder to focus on driving after that, too many thoughts and theories begin to fill her head. Elijah needs her. Klaus is vague and it's probably not that bad, but the worry that it might be _that_ bad has her calling Caroline as soon as she parks her car.

"Caroline. What's going on?" Elena asks and Caroline takes a breath before she answers.

"Esther came back to life to kill the Originals again. It's under control now, but Elijah-she messed Elijah up. He's not going to die-but he's not letting anyone see him and Klaus and I think you can help." Caroline says and some of the tension escapes out of Elena.

"I'll be on that flight. I just need to cancel a few things." Elena says and Caroline thanks her.

* * *

The flight is a little over three hours and Elena's too wound up to sleep. Elijah's always been rather invulnerable, the fact Klaus is worried makes her wonder what he'll be like when Caroline picks her up from the airport.

"Are you alright?" The woman next to her asks.

"Someone I care about is really sick in New Orleans. I'm just worried." Elena says and the woman nods sympathetically.

"Waiting like this is the worst part. I almost lost my husband a decade ago and sitting on a plane was the worst part of it. Just the waiting. We've got an hour left. I hope he's okay." The older woman smiles, eyes warm set in a wrinkled face. Flight attendants move and a mother hushes her child as people move and rustle trying to get comfortable. Elena smiles and thanks the woman. Elijah's on her mind for the rest of the flight, even as she tries to slip into the bestseller she packed, rereading the first page again. None of it quite sinks in, and Elena tries to relax as the time passes.

* * *

"How bad is it? Is it physical or mental or-" Elena asks as Caroline catches her in a quick hug.

"We don't know. He won't come out and he hasn't eaten since Freya woke him up with magic. He just said he needed to talk to you." Caroline says and Elena grabs her suitcase. Time to go, they can't waste time. Elena's seen him daggered, dead, bloody, asleep-she's never thought something could get at him like this.

"New Orleans has been crazy. And I mean _crazy_." Caroline says and Elena asks about Esther.

"She's contained for now. I just need you to focus on Elijah." Caroline says and Elena nods. Caroline tells her that if she needs help or if Elijah hurts her-she and Freya will be on standby.

"You think it's that bad?" Elena whispers and Caroline hesitates before she nods.

"I've never seen Elijah or Klaus look so-" Caroline trails off. Seeing Elijah so vulnerable looking and Klaus so concerned-it's unnerving. It's a few more minutes before they manage to get to the Compound and Elena doesn't hesitate to move to Elijah's room. Her suitcase can be moved later, Elijah needs her if Klaus and Caroline are right. She knocks on the door, hard for a human, soft for a vampire. She can hear movement but the door doesn't open and it's locked, damn him.

"It's me. Elena. You said you wanted to talk, let me in." Elena presses and she finds herself being pressed against a wall with a flash of vampire speed. At least she's in Elijah's room, she thinks as she looks for a moment. They can hear Caroline and Freya worrying downstairs and he looks at her-she could escape if she wanted, Elijah's not hurting her with the light pressure.

"Elena." Elijah breathes, recognition settling in, his eyes are wide.

"You should go before I cause your death too. I want you to forget me. I don't want you harmed because of me." He says, in a matter of seconds he's on the opposite end of the room.

"Is this about Tatia and Katherine?" Elena asks cautiously, and walks slowly to him, takes in what he's wearing. A sweater, not a suit-she's rarely seen him look so casual.

"I killed Tatia. My mother revealed holes in my memory." Elijah says. To avoid her, he takes steps backwards when she does and finds himself with his back to the wall as Elena keeps walking toward him. She doesn't trap him though, she stands next to him as he decides to sit.

"Tell me everything about how she made you vampires. All of it." Elena says softly and sits next to him. Unsure eyes flicker to her but he begins to tell her of Henrik. Henrik was good and he was kind and _it wasn't Klaus's fault._ Elijah closes his eyes and she takes in the details of his room as he tells her the more detailed story than the one he told her after she undaggered him. She sees the rumpled and bloody suit, his probably dead phone, and there's a framed picture of her on his nightstand next to a large stack of books. Elena's heart jumps at the idea of the picture, but Elijah doesn't notice as he tells her of Tatia and how they had originally thought their mother killed Tatia.

Elena learns about their village, about the wolves, about his first experience of dying, how hard it was to be a monster without a teacher. Elena wants to show him she's there, a hand in his, head on his shoulder, anything, but she's worried he'll jerk away or stop talking.

"I thought my mother made us into monsters and killed Tatia. _I_ killed Tatia. Everyone I've ever loved has come to harm because of me and their connection to me. I don't want you hurt, Elena. You should go." Old eyes are watching her, he looks too young to be damn tired, but Elena moves closer to him.

"I've already died twice, Elijah. Got it covered. Let me in. Let me into your mind and I'll tell you why you're wrong. Esther lied. She lied, I promise." Elena presses and he looks up to meet her eyes again.

"Give me your word you won't manipulate my memories." Elijah says, voice unsteady and Elena nods.

"I give you my word, Elijah. _Let me in."_ Elena says, moving a hand to his face and he closes his eyes and lets her in.

"Tatia. Tatia. I will not hurt you." Elijah is human, long haired and a new vampire. Elena watches him look at Tatia, looks at Tatia, braided hair and fear in a blue dress. It's daylight, Elena takes in the woods and the smell of smoke as she watches the memory play out.

"I didn't give my blood to your mother for her to make your family to become monsters." Tatia says and it's odd because it's the same voice, Elena has her voice but they say things differently. Elijah's vampire face isn't new to Elena but they can both sense Tatia's fear and fast heart.

"Elijah? Elijah?" Tatia asks and Elena watches for a moment as his fangs peek out as he speaks.

"Tatia-run. _Run."_ Elijah says and Elena puts herself in between them as Tatia escapes- Elijah collides into her.

"Elijah. Remember when I died, the first time. Remember that." Elena pleads and the scene changes-Tatia is gone and it's a dark night in Mystic Falls. It's so odd to see herself, so scared and worried.

"Why do you want to see this?" She sees Elijah with the haircut he used to have, and she shakes her head.

" _I_ don't want to see this. But _you_ need to see it. Klaus will drain me of all of my blood. I'm going to die in a minute." Elena says and they watch despite how much they want to turn away.

"He took _all_ of my blood. I think your mother took all of Tatia's blood too. Esther couldn't have turned you into vampires with such a small amount-if her magic worked like that I wouldn't have died. You can tell me Esher wanted to try and stop Klaus from making hybrids- but that memory felt fake. You _know_ that. _Esther lied_." Elena moves a hand to his face and he jerk them into a another memory as Klaus lets Elena's body fall to the ground.

Esther's in a different body-she needs to ask about that, but she lies to his face, hand touching his face as she makes him look at her. Elena gasps, looking at how bloody he is, the chains attached to the wall holding him in place, the hunger in his eyes, and the stone structure they're in. It's a mausoleum, Elena wonders whose it is and how long Esther spend setting up and setting candles on fire, because they're everywhere. Esher talks and Elijah tries to block most of it out, but he can only do so much.

"She lied. She lied. Remember the truth." Elena says and they're out of his head, Elena feels blood trailing from her nose to her lip, wet and metallic. Elijah looks composed again deep in his thoughts, like he's miles away even though the distance between them is just a few inches.

"Elijah?" Elena murmurs. Elijah's quiet for a few moments and she carefully takes his hand in hers. Elijah's hand is lax against hers and she can hear movement in the kitchen, Klaus is pacing and there's talking she doesn't want to focus on. Elijah's fingers move and he holds her hand as she looks at him.

"There's something wrong with each memory. Thank you for helping me see that." Elijah sounds like how he usually does, warm but composed. Elena relaxes and he offers her a handkerchief. Elena wipes the blood off her face and holds it in her empty hand.

"Elijah. You said you were worried about losing me. I'm your friend. I'm always going to be here. Klaus doesn't hate me right now. I'm safe." She tries to be funny but he looks at her with those intense eyes of his, quiet. Elena squeezes his hand. Maybe humor isn't the best approach right now.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that. If I had known you were kidnapped I would have been here as soon as possible. But Klaus just called me today and I got on a plane." Elena murmurs and she can see him thinking, she just doesn't know what he's thinking about.

"I'll leave you alone. Caroline can help me figure out if there's a flight back soon." Elena says, moving forward to get up and his grip on her hand increases.

"Stay." He murmurs and she leans her back against the wall again.

"You okay?" Elena asks and he nods. Elena leans her head against his shoulder and sighs quietly.

"Why were you so worried you'd get me killed?" Elena asks and she can feel him tense up.

"Because I care about you. Very much." He murmurs and she moves her head from his shoulder to look at him. His eyes are on her lips and her eyes widen as she understands. Elena moves her lips to his and smiles into the kiss. Things are good. When they break apart, Elijah speaks.

"I love you. I love you because you're Elena. I don't think of Tatia or Katerina when I look at you." He says and she smiles to his confusion.

"I never thought you did." Elena says, and leans forward to kiss him again.


	51. Christmas

AN: I'm having like a life crisis thing of "what am I doing with my time and life" thing right now. So Elena is too. Yup. This is kind of a mess, but I like it anyway. Human Elena gets invited to NOLA for Christmas.

 _Also, **none** of these will be extended. If you want to know what happens after stories PM me, but what I write and post is it for these. Also anonymous commenter from last chapter, I've written like 450k of Elejah fic on here, I have long elejah stories. Go nuts dude!_

* * *

"Ah. Caroline's coming with your Christmas present now." Klaus says and Elijah looks up as Caroline and Elena walk through the door. Caroline shoots Klaus a dirty look and Elena looks around, taking in the living room. It's old fashioned- filled with antiques but with a modern touch. Her eyes finally settle on Elijah who she realizes is looking at her. Elijah wonders when Elena planned to New Orleans, she didn't mention it the last time they spoke over Skype.

"Elijah. Hi." Elena's heartbeat speeds up like it used to, in the days of Mystic Falls.

"Elena. It's wonderful to see you again." He speaks honestly and Klaus shoots a look to Caroline.

"Don't you usually go home for Christmas?" Elijah asks as Caroline shakes her head at Klaus.

"Yeah. But Jenna and Alaric are on a trip and Jeremy and Bonnie wanted a quiet Christmas. Plus-Caroline's been trying to get me to come down here for a while but I put it off because it seems like there's always someone trying to kill you these days." Elena smiles but it's hesitant.

"New Orleans is much safer than it used to be." Elijah says and she nods. Elena isn't exactly comfortable in a house full of Originals, let alone another supernatural city.

"I've never been here. It's still kind of a lot to take in." Elena says.

"I could show you the city if you want." Elijah suggests and Elena smiles, genuinely this time.

"I'd love that." Elena says and Klaus hands Caroline a crisp bill.

* * *

"How long do you think it'll be until one of them admits they have feelings?" Klaus asks and Freya snorts.

"Before the New Year at the latest." The witch says and Kol shakes his head.

"Never. Unless one of them steps up." Kol says and Rebekah shouts that they'll kiss before Christmas, from her room.

"Looks like we have bets." Klaus says and Caroline rolls her eyes. As much as she loves Elena, she loves Elijah too. Both of them need to just get stuck under mistletoe or something. Caroline's eyes widen as she makes a plan.

* * *

"You look happy. Happier than when you were in Mystic Falls." Elena says and she realizes that she hasn't actually been alone with Elijah in quite a while. The busy streets of New Orleans seem less intimidating with Elijah walking next to her. Elijah considers her words for a moment.

"New Orleans suits us much better than Mystic Falls did." Elijah says instead of the other things he could say, should say. Elena looks at the shops and the people walking by, taking in the city.

"You miss your family." He says and she looks at him for a moment.

"It's not that Caroline isn't family, it's just-I haven't seen any of them in a while. There's some traditions I'm going to miss out on. And it's my first Christmas without Jeremy." Elena admits. Throughout everything, she always had Jeremy-every loss, every hardship.

"If you miss them, tell them." Elijah says and Elena sighs.

"I know, I know." Elena says and he smiles at her.

* * *

"Look up." Kol says as they walk through the front door. Elena looks at Elijah before they do, and she curses Caroline aloud. Elena moves to stand on her tiptoes and kisses Elijah's cheek before she walks upstairs to find Caroline. Elijah keeps his face impassive, and he hears arguing from his siblings, but he focuses on Elena's excited heartbeat.

* * *

"What'd you get Elijah for Christmas?" Caroline asks after Elena's gotten over shooting her dirty looks.

"Caroline. I'm not telling you because everyone else in the house has supernatural hearing. I want Elijah to be surprised." Elena says and Caroline raises an eyebrow.

"I mean, I want everyone to be surprised with their presents, but Elijah's the hardest to shop for." Elena excuses and Caroline holds in a laugh. Klaus walks into the room and looks at the two sprawled out on the couch together.

"What'd you get me?" Klaus asks.

"A dog whistle." Elena deadpans and Klaus chuckles.

* * *

Dinner is at a restaurant Elena doesn't catch the name of, Freya smiles at her because it's nice to have someone else who actually needs food. Elena's quiet, speaks when spoken to. Elijah wonders if she's just taking it all in-she's never actually seen his family like this before. Christmas is not something they usually celebrate, but Caroline cares so they're celebrating this year. Elena looks more interested in finishing her drink than talking about decorating a tree.

"Where's your Christmas spirit, Elena?" Kol jokes and Elena rolls her eyes.

"You know what would bring Christmas spirit?" Caroline asks, and Elena shakes her head.

"No. Absolutely not. The last time you had that tone, Matt almost threw up on Bonnie's carpet. No eggnog and alcohol." Elena says and Rebekah makes a gagging sound.

"Why would anyone do that to perfectly good alcohol?" Kol asks and Freya snorts.

"I wasn't going suggest eggnog, just alcohol." Caroline says.

"Sounds like an excellent idea." Klaus says.

* * *

"Elena. Something is bothering you." Elijah says and she lets out a long sigh. She drank almost as much as Caroline did, but she also had water, he's not sure how bad her hangover will be.

"A lot of things bother me. Klaus bothers me. You making that face bothers me." Elena says and he watches her carefully as they walk down the street, away from the bar.

"What face?" Elijah asks and she brings her hand to his face. Elena stops walking so he does too.

"This one. You look all frowny. Here." Elena moves her fingers to smooth his forehead. Her hand moves away but he holds her wrist, fingers wrapping around it gently.

"Elena." He says and she looks at him with wide eyes.

"I always liked how you say my name. You make it sound long." Elena drags the words out.

"Is something bothering you?" He inquires. Usually Elena doesn't drink so much, or at least in his experience she doesn't.

"I don't have a life plan. I thought I'd be dead or undead by now considering that's what happened to Tatia and Katerina. I'm just _lost_." She tries to mimic how he says Katherine's name.

"You loved both of them. Did they have life plans? I don't know what to do with my life, I don't have a purpose. Everyone's getting married and having kids and being all happy. I just feel like I'm missing something. Like it's right in front of my face. Speaking of faces, you have a nice face. It's quality." Elena informs him. He'd laugh if he wasn't so concerned.

"Thank you. Elena if you want to talk about the future, perhaps we should do that after you drink some water." Elijah says. He's not going to talk about Tatia or Katerina while she's like this.

"What did you plan for your future? When you were human?" Elena asks and he lets go of her wrist. Elena begins to walk down the street and he follows her.

"Those plans died long ago. Elena, you're going the wrong way." Elijah says and she shrugs. Elena doesn't hear him mutter before he picks her up.

"What are you doing? Where are we going?" Elena asks, shifting in his arms to get comfortable.

"I'm taking you home. I'd let you walk on your own lovely Elena, but I don't feel up to chasing you through the city tonight." Elijah murmurs and Elena sighs loudly at him. His heart clenches at her next questions.

"What's the point of existing? Have you figured that out? You've lived forever, you must have that answer at least or like the answer to like other stuff." Elena says and he wants to sigh.

"I don't know. I don't know the point of existing or living. I could tell you that it's a specific purpose or idea. There aren't happy endings for vampires because nothing ends except everything and everyone else. Life is about living and finding what you want to do with it."

"You're not good at this pep talk thing." Elena looks up at him before she puts her head against his shoulder. Heavy eyelids are hard to fight, and Elijah's quiet as she loses the fight against staying awake. Elena doesn't feel his lips against her forehead as Caroline helps him tuck her in, doesn't see the look in his eyes before he leaves the room.

* * *

"So you and Elijah, huh?" Caroline asks as Elena drinks another glass of water. There's a handful of days before Christmas and Elena just wants to take a shower and leave New Orleans. Spending Christmas alone doesn't sound that bad. The night before is slowly coming back to her.

"Oh my god, tell me I didn't do anything to him." Elena says and Caroline shakes her head.

"You kept asking some deep questions for a drunk person. Maybe we shouldn't have let you drink that much." Caroline frowns.

"I was awful. I think Elijah ended up picking me up so we could come back here. Oh god, I should just go right now. Where is he?" Elena asks. If Elijah's listening she's going to die of embarrassment.

"He's out. I think he's getting you a present, so you have to stay. We all do dumb stuff. Besides, Elijah's in love with you anyway. I don't think you can do anything he won't forgive you for." Caroline says and slaps her hand over her mouth. Elena stares at Caroline, head pounding like she just bashed it against the wall.

"I'm sorry it might be my hangover but _can you repeat that?"_ Elena asks.

"We all do dumb stuff?" Caroline offers.

"After that." Elena says.

"Elijah's in love with you." Caroline says the words in a rush.

"What? No. No he isn't. We're just friends. We're just friends because I-he's just-what?" Elena asks and Caroline sighs.

"You're in love with him. He's in love with you. You're both dumb and don't see it. Klaus asked me to ask you to come down here because you've been busy with work and Elijah missed you. I mean, I did too, but I knew you were busy and figured you'd talk to us again when it calmed down." Caroline rambles and Elena stares at her for a long moment. The blonde resists the urge to fidget and the door opens.

"Elijah's in love with you. We all see it. You have feelings for him too. You need to make a choice, because Elijah's not going to make the first move. And he's going to be back soon." Rebekah says, leaning in the doorway. Two sets of eyes are staring at Elena, waiting for an answer, waiting for her to say something, anything.

"I need to take a shower." Elena blurts, and is in the bathroom, door locked within seconds.

* * *

 _Elijah._ Elijah loves her. Love. The information settles in, and Elena wishes she could just avoid leaving the shower, avoid the conversations she's going to have. Hot water can't last forever though and she knows she can't avoid it. The idea of being with Elijah, dating Elijah-it excites her more than any of the dates she's been on in the last year. There's too many questions filling up her head and she can't do this. She can't just look at Elijah like she didn't ask too much when she was drunk and like she doesn't know. Running away sounds nice, going home and pretending she didn't fuck up everything sounds like a nice idea until she remembers it doesn't fix anything. Elena closes her eyes.

* * *

"Elijah? Are you in there?" Elena's voice is soft and she wishes the house was empty. There's too many ears that could be listening, and just as she's wondering if he's home yet, the door opens. Elijah doesn't meet her eyes and Elena wonders if she ruined everything.

"Would you like to go for a walk with me?" Elijah asks.

"I just need to grab my coat and I'll be right back." Elena says.

* * *

It's been ten minutes of silence and walking before one of them speaks.

"Sorry about last night. I usually don't drink and I didn't mean to ask you so much and get in your space. I'm sorry." Elena says and he looks at her but she doesn't meet his eyes.

"You don't need to apologize. You said you felt like you didn't have purpose. You said you felt lost. You never told me that. How long have you felt like that?" Elijah asks. Elena's been in pain and he didn't notice, how did he not notice? There's too much to think about.

"A while. I keep seeing all of my old classmates posting about getting married or their kids and I remembered I can't have that picket fence life anymore. So I'm lost." Elena sighs.

"Why can't you have that? You could fall in love, have that if you want that life." Elijah keeps his voice even.

"I can't have kids because there'll be another doppelganger. But marriage might be off the table too. See, I realized something. Remember when I'd tell you about those dates that were awful and there was never a spark?" Elena asks and his eyes meet hers.

"I'm in love with someone. It took Caroline and Rebekah for me to see that because apparently I'm dumb." Elena says, heart beating nervously.

"You're not dumb, lovely Elena." Elijah corrects, immediately and her heart skips a beat.

"I'm just going to say this because it's like ripping off a bandaid, I mean I should have said this a long time ago. I love you, Elijah." Elena confesses and they both stop walking.

"Are you on vervain?" Elijah asks and Elena raises an eyebrow. There's always a possibility someone could be compelled, and this is too good to be real.

"Yeah. No one compelled me to say anything. I love you. And I think you might love me too." Elena admits and he bites his lip.

"What about that future you wanted? I can't give that to you." Elijah hears himself say.

"I don't want that, I want you. I love you." Elena says and he moves them out of the way from other people on the sidewalk before he kisses her. Relief floods Elena's system before the excitement does.

* * *

"Pay up." Rebekah declares and Elena looks to Elijah as money exchanges hands.

"Did you guys bet on how long it'd take for us to get together?" Elena asks. Caroline's the only one with a guilty look on her face.

"Right. Of course you did." Elena answers her own question and Elijah chuckles. Things might not be perfect, but Elena has time and Elijah by her side. It's a pretty good way to start off the Christmas celebrations Caroline has planned.

"We're under mistletoe." Elijah points out. Elena smiles into the kiss. They talked about everything, and there's a few things to work out still, things aren't perfect. That's okay, though, Elena knows as they break away. Things might turn out okay anyway.


	52. The End

**AN: This is a continuation of the first chapter.** I've been waiting to do this since I wrote that. I also didn't want to drag this out to make everyone suffer. Fun fact, I think I've written Elena dying 16 times including this one. This is it, I hope you all enjoyed it.

I'm going to miss this but I wanted to wrap up before the finale tomorrow in case there's something I can write about for that. I'll resume a regular updating schedule on all the stories I've neglected in favor of 52, and I will also have a lot of new stuff coming up! Thank you so much for reading this! I had a lot of fun with these prompts.

* * *

Elena takes a long breath and closes her eyes for a moment. Life was good.

"Remember when I thought you were married to Caroline?" Elena laughs, but it's much weaker than it used to be. She smiles and turns to look at her husband. He's still handsome, even with white hair and all of the wrinkles, but she has that too.

"That seems like it was a thousand years ago. I remember. I remember thinking you were the loveliest person I'd ever seen. You still are." Elijah says and she smiles. Their children and their children have heard the stories over and over and over. They texted off and on and they worked together for a few months before he finally asked her out to dinner.

There were dates and there was work and then he proposed. They were completely average, and Elena's happy. They lived long, happy lives.  
"Anything you regret?" Elena asks and he nods.

"What?" Elena asks. She can't imagine what her husband regrets.

"I regret not asking you out sooner." He says and she laughs, too hard for her old body.

"We should get up. Get breakfast going." Elena says after a few minutes.

"Or we could just stay here. I don't feel very good. I think my time's coming." Elijah says. They could get their lives extended, but he doesn't see a point to it.

"If you're going, I'm going too. Always and forever." Elena coughs, and her hand finds his.

"Always and forever." He repeats and squeezes her hand.

"I love you." Elena says as the sun begins to peek through their windows.

"I love you too." He says and his breathing slows.

His heart slows, trying to keep going despite the fact it's a losing battle. Elijah's lungs try to fill themselves with air but he doesn't have enough energy. His grip grows lax and Elena understands. Sudden pain strikes her hard and fast in her chest at the idea of Elijah being gone, and her eyes close as his do. At least they're together, she thinks. Their kids will call and find them soon. Their wills are in order, and both of their hearts stop as the sun shines fully through their window.

* * *

finis


End file.
